Nothing Like My Novels
by tracylay
Summary: Sindy Stilinski enjoys reading fantasy novels, intrigued by an unknown supernatural world that the human mind makes up. The night following a search for a dead body, she runs into Derek Hale. She discovers a world that what she once thought didn't exist to be very real, and very different than what she's read. Derek Hale x OC (Sindy Stilinski)
1. The Search

**A/N:** I really am in no position to be making a new story, but... if the plot bunny insists, then it will happen. Enjoy~

* * *

**SUNDAY  
****JANUARY 9, 2011**

_Creek._

I glanced up from my reading, looking around my bedroom.

_Creeeek._

There it was again.

I placed my book down on the nightstand and climbed out of my bed. My legs immediately hit the cold air and I felt the goosebumps build up my skin.

I grabbed my brother's lacrosse stick, which I had just finished restringing for him about a half hour ago. I cautiously stepped outside of my room, armed and ready.

_Creeeeeek._

I heard it right behind me and spun around quickly, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. I swung my weapon at my assailant, and felt it make contact.

"_**ARGH!**_" I heard an all-too familiar voice call out in pain. I heard a dull _thump_ as the body slumped to the ground and my eyes snapped open.

"_Stiles_!" I scolded. "What the _hell_ did you think you were _doing_?!"

"I should be asking _you_ that!" Stiles snapped back at me, holding his cheek. "Why the _hell_ did you hit me?!"

"You were creeping up behind me!" I retorted.

"I was just going to get you!" my wonderful twin brother cried.

"Well, do that by _calling my name_! I thought it was some robber or murderer or something!"

"Okay, maybe I _should've_ done that, but who'd actually sneak into the _Sheriff's_ house?!"

I huffed angrily. He had a point. But still, he shouldn't have tried to act all stealthy. It was something Stiles wasn't. I stalked away, heading into the kitchen.

I opened the door to the fridge and pulled out a bag of frozen peas just as I heard the heavy thumps of my brother walking down the stairs. I handed him the bag and he mumbled his thanks, placing it on his bruising cheek.

"Sorry," I said, seeing him wince slightly when the cold plastic made contact with his skin.

"S'okay," Stiles replied, taking a seat at the island. "You're right. I should've just called your name."

"What's up?" I asked, leaning over the island, looking at him. "It's ten o'clock at night."

"Dad got called out," Stiles informed me, his brown eyes glinting in mischief. "Two joggers found a dead body, but here's the catch: They only found half."

I pushed myself off the counter. "No way," I gaped.

"Yes, way," Stiles nodded. "And we're gonna go look for it. Get changed. I'm gonna call Scott." I eagerly nodded my head and all but sprinted up the stairs. I slammed my door shut quickly before changing into something suitable to be in the woods in.

As I walked down the stairs, I popped my head through the hole in my sweater and finished putting the rest of it on.

Stiles was frowning at his phone and said, "Scott's not answering."

"We'll just head to his house, then," I replied. My brother nodded in agreement before we left our house in his baby blue powder jeep.

Since he was busy cradling his swollen cheek, I was in charge of driving. He tried called Scott a couple more times as well, but the boy just wouldn't answer his phone.

I pulled up in the McCall driveway fifteen minutes later and watched as my brother got out. Instead of taking the front door, however, he chose to simply scale up the house.

I sighed mentally, climbing out of the car. This was only going to get him hurt.

I spotted Scott exiting his house just a few seconds after Stiles had climbed up, and was about to get the attention of both of them. Stiles lost his footing, and Scott almost whacked him with a baseball bat.

Scott let out a scream, which made Stiles scream, which made Scott cry out, and then my brother let out a not-so-manly scream.

I face-palmed myself.

"Stiles, what the _hell are you doing_?!" Scott snapped.

"You weren't answering your phone!" Stiles cried out. He looked at the weapon in Scott's hands. "Why do you have a bat?!"

"I thought you were a predator!" Scott retorted.

Stiles sputtered in disbelief before trying to explain himself. "Look, I know it's late, but you gotta hear this. I saw my dad leave twenty minutes ago. Dispatch called, they're bringing everybody, and I mean _everybody_, even the state police."

"For what? And what the hell happened to your face?"

"Blame Sindy over there," Stiles jutted his thumb towards my general direction. It was then Scott noticed my presence. I waved at him before walking over to the two boys.

"Anyway," Stiles said, flipping off from where he was stuck, "two joggers found a body in the woods."

"A dead body?" Scott asked, leaning over the railing to look at us.

"No, a body of water," Stiles corrected dryly. "Yes, dumbass, a dead body." He climbed over the railing like a monkey, whereas I chose to be human and climb up the steps of the McCall deck.

I stood there, my arms crossed as I listened to my brother explain to his best friend what I already knew.

"So, where are we going?" Scott asked, after he was completely filled in.

"Beacon Hills Preserve," I said for the first time since joining Scott. "It's where they found the first half of the body, so the second half shouldn't be too far."

I got into the driver's side before placing the key into the ignition.

"So, how'd you hit Stiles?" Scott asked as I drove down the dark road to the preserve. Stiles had placed the now-just-cold bag of peas to his not-really-swollen cheek again and I turned down the road.

"With his lacrosse stick," I replied simply. "I restrung it about an hour ago, and it was still in my room."

"Dude, seriously?" Scott turned to his best friend. "Did you sneak up on her or something?"

"Or something," Stiles grumbled. "Who in their right mind would sneak into _our_ house anyway? That's just like, an invitation to get arrested."

I shrugged in response and just kept my eyes on the road.

About ten minutes later, I pulled up to the Beacon Hills Preserve and climbed out of the jeep, along with the guys.

"Are we seriously doing this?" Scott asked, looking at us.

"Yup," Stiles and I replied at the same time.

"You're the one that's always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town," Stiles added, turning on his flashlight.

"I was just trying to get a good night's sleep before practice tomorrow," Scott responded.

"_Right_," Stiles rolled his eyes. "'Cause sitting on the bench takes _so much_ effort."

"No, because I'm playing this year," Scott declared. "In fact, I'm gonna make first line."

"That's the spirit," I smiled, patting Scott on the arm, since I was too short to reach his shoulder. Scott smiled at me thankfully.

"Yeah," my brother agreed. "Everyone should have a dream, no matter how pathetically unrealistic."

"Just out of curiosity, Stiles, which half are we looking for?" I inquired. I blew into my hands before rubbing them. It was unbelievably cold outside tonight.

"Huh," Stiles stopped for a second before resuming. "I didn't even think about that!"

"And what if whatever killed the body is still out here?" Scott piped in.

"Also something I didn't think about," Stiles replied, shrugging.

"That's really comforting to know," I commented, grunting a big as I climbed up a rather steep hill. I heard Scott run out of breath and turned around, watching as he leaned up against a tree and use his inhaler. "You alright, there, Scotty?"

"Yeah," he wheezed, before breathing in. When we reached the top, all of us dropped onto our stomachs.

Flashlights shone up ahead and I mentally groaned. I should've stayed at home. Even though Stiles was the older one, I was usually in charge because I was the more responsible one. Dad was gonna have my _head_.

"C'mon!" Stiles exclaimed suddenly, jumping up.

I jumped up, following my brother to make sure he didn't get us into _too_ much trouble. Suddenly, a dog jumped out and I groaned in pain when Stiles fell right on top of me.

"Hang on, hang on," I heard my Dad's voice say. "These little delinquents belong to me."

"Get off of me," I groaned, shoving my brother off of me.

He stood up quickly before saying, "Dad, how're you doing?"

My dad looked at me pointedly. "You're supposed to keep him out of trouble."

"That's impossible," I pointed out bluntly. "I just try to keep him out of _too much_ trouble."

He seemed to agree with my point because he sighed heavily before turning to Stiles, "So, do you listen to all my phone calls?"

"How do you know it was me and not Sindy?" Stiles retorted. My dad looked at him pointedly. "Okay, okay. But, to answer your question: no. At least, not the boring ones."

"Now where's the other usual partner in crime?" Dad looked around, most likely for Scott. Boy, I sure hope he stayed hidden.

"Who, Scott? Scott's home, isn't he, Sindy?" Stiles looked down at me. I nodded my head. "He said he wanted to get a good night sleep for the first day back at school tomorrow. It's just me, in the woods… alone… with Sindy."

Dad shined his flashlight behind me. "Scott, you out there?!" he called out. "Scott?!" When there was no reply, he sighed. "Well, I'm gonna walk you two back to whichever car you guys came from. And you, young man, you and I are going to have a conversation on something called _invasion of privacy_. Let's go, Sindy."

He gripped the back of Stiles's neck tightly, but not enough to hurt him (obviously).

As we trekked through the woods, I felt chills up my spine, almost like someone was watching me. I turned my head while my father lectured Stiles. My eyes came into contact with electric blue ones, and I internally held in a gasp. I blinked, and suddenly, they were gone.

I shook my head. It must've been that I was getting tired.

I jogged a bit to catch up to the two males in my family, as I had fallen behind by a couple of steps. Dad led us to where Stiles's jeep was parked and it was then he realized something. "What happened to your face, Stiles?"

"Oh, that was my fault," I said, raising my hand, even though he couldn't see. "Stiles scared me so I kind of whacked him with his lacrosse stick."

Dad looked at Stiles with an arched brow.

"What?!" Stiles exclaimed. "Why is everything automatically my fault?!"

"Actually, I was just wondering why you'd sneak up on your sister," Dad responded. "You know she took self-defense classes."

"Don't I know it," Stiles mumbled, unconsciously rubbing his cheek.

We arrived in front of my brother's jeep and my dad looked sternly at us. "I want you two back at home, _in bed_. It's almost midnight and you start school tomorrow. Bed as soon as you get home, understood?"

"Understood," my brother and I echoed.

I pulled out Stiles's keys from my pocket before climbing into the driver's side of the jeep. Stiles closed the passenger door as he slid in and I started the engine.

When I took off, it didn't take long for Stiles to continue talking again.

"I wonder if Scott got back okay," Stiles said wearily. He pulled out his phone and began to text his friend.

There was no response for a few minutes, and I felt the jeep move as Stiles shifted uncomfortably.

"Stiles," I said warningly.

"Sorry," Stiles replied. "Seriously, though, Sindy, aren't you worried about Scott?"

I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows together. Those bright blue eyes I saw were in the forest. I wasn't sure if those were a figment of my imagination or they were true, but that aside, it was the woods at night time and there was a possible _murderer_ on the loose.

"Of course," I said eventually. "But there's nothing we can do now."

Just then, Stiles's phone chimed from a new text message. Stiles let out a strong sigh of relief. "Scott got out okay. He got bit by something and almost got hit by a car, but he's okay."

"Seems like he just got out of two near-death accidents, and you just say he's _okay_?" I questioned bluntly. "You're not worried he might be traumatized?"

"He hangs out with you, doesn't he?" I released my right hand from the steering wheel and whacked him upside the head. "_Ow_! Haven't you done _enough_ damage to me for one night?"

"Technically, it's a new day," I pointed out, gesturing to the dashboard clock, which signified that it was twelve-oh-one. "So, no."

Stiles grumbled in his seat and proceeded to text Scott back. I rolled my eyes at his drama-queen persona before turning my complete attention to the road.

**MONDAY  
****JANUARY 10, 2011**

I slid my sapphire blue Hyundai Genesis into the parking space beside Stiles's jeep before cutting the engine.

As I climbed out of my car, I spotted Jackson sneering down at Scott before walking away.

I frowned. Jackson Whittemore was the epitome of a rich kid who had everything but wanted more. I watched him stride into school, but, as if he felt my gaze, he turned to look at me, his blue eyes meeting my own brown ones.

We joined Scott, who had met us halfway. Stiles stuffed his hands in his pocket before saying, "Okay, let's see this thing."

Scott looked around, making sure no one was paying attention to us. _Pft_. Who would? We were basically nobodies in this school. He lifted up his shirt to reveal a large gauze, and I could see the blood seep through the center of it in a curve-like fashion. _Yeesh_, that was bad.

My brows scrunched together as my face contorted into a rather… _ugh_ face. Stiles reached to touch it, but I slapped his hands away. "Ow!" he exclaimed. "Stop abusing me!"

"Don't _touch_ it!" I replied. I turned back to Scott and asked, "Do you know what caused it?"

Scott let his shirt fall back down and then he frowned, throwing his backpack over his shoulder. "It was too dark to see much, but I'm pretty sure it was a wolf."

Scott's eyebrows shot up. "A _wolf_ bit you?" he asked incredulously as the three of us trekked into the school building. "No. Not a chance."

"I heard a wolf howling," Scott responded.

"No, you didn't," Stiles countered.

Scott scoffed. "What do you mean I didn't? You weren't there."

"Scott," I began, "California doesn't have wolves. There haven't been any for over sixty years."

Scott stopped in his steps and I almost crashed into him. "Really?"

"Yes, _really_!" Stiles said, turning around to look at his best friend. He looked at Scott with a _duh_ face. I adjusted the backpack I had over my shoulders before mentally sighing. _Boys_.

"Well, if you're not gonna believe me about the wolves, then you're definitely not gonna believe me when I say that I've found the dead body," Scott looked at the two of us, the corner of his lips curling in amusement.

Stiles sputtered unintelligibly for a couple seconds before saying, "Wait! Are you kidding me?" I must say, even if I wasn't into mysteries as much as my brother was, my interest was indeed piqued.

"I wish," Scott shrugged. "Now I'm gonna have nightmares for a month."

"That's… pretty awesome," I nodded slowly. "That's like, the best thing that's happened since like… like…" I trailed off, not knowing what _was_ the best thing.

"Since the birth of Lydia Martin…" Stiles sighed dreamily. Just then, the strawberry blonde walked past him and he said suavely, "Hey, Lydia. You look… like you're gonna ignore me." My brother had never resembled more like a puppy than any other time except when he "spoke to" Lydia Martin. And I say "spoke to" as in "he talks to her but she always ignores him" kind of way.

I briefly heard Stiles blaming Scott for their "nerd status" just as the bell rang.

"We're nerds by association," Stiles said, throwing his arm around my shoulders casually. "We're scarlet nerded by you."

"Did you just make a _Scarlet Letter_ reference?" I inquired in disbelief, looking up at Stiles. "You hate that book."

"I do, but it doesn't mean I didn't pick up a couple things from it," Stiles shrugged. We trekked off to our first class, which was English.

Thankfully, the seats weren't assigned, so we were able to choose our seats without any protests. I took a seat next to the window, the third seat from the back. Stiles took a seat behind me while Scott sat to my right.

Once the final bell rang, the teacher stood up and began to write _Kafka's Metamorphosis_ on the board while casually mentioning the body that was found in the woods last night.

At that mentioning, I angled my head to look at my brother and best friend-through-association. Stiles gave us both a wink before I turned back to the front.

The teacher mentioned the syllabus that was on my desk and I mentally groaned, looking at all the requirements this class needed. It wasn't that I was a _bad_ student; I was actually on the Honor Roll. Stiles was completely wrong when he mentioned Scott was a nerd. A geek? Totally. But school wasn't Scott's strongest point… nor was anything else, for that matter.

My thoughts were interrupted when the door opened, and in stepped our vice principal, Mr. Green, and a pretty brunette.

She had ringlets around her face and her face was heart-shaped. Her skin complexion was a lot like mines: fair and almost delicate-looking.

"Class, this is our new student, Allison Argent. Please do your best to make her feel welcomed," Mr. Green announced.

Something caught my attention, and I spotted Scott was completely enamored by the new girl's presence. The corner of my lips curled in amusement and I angled my head slightly to look at Stiles.

'_Hey,'_ I mouthed towards him.

'_What?'_ he mouthed back.

'_Look at Scott,'_ I gestured to our best friend with my pencil. Stiles did as I told him, and when he spotted Scott's love-struck expression, he stifled a laugh.

The new girl, Allison, took a seat in the last open space: the one behind Scott. Suddenly, Scott whirled around, and held out his pen towards the girl.

I arched a brow and looked at my twin, hoping he'd have some answers. Much to my displeasure, he just shrugged, equally confused as I was.

I spotted the self-satisfied smile that flittered across Scott's face before I opened my notebook, ready to take notes.

The rest of the class breezed by smoothly, and I soon found myself packing my books while Stiles waited for me. Scott had left already, but it wasn't that big of a deal, considering Stiles's locker was right next to Scott's and mine was beside my brother's.

Stiles and I joined Scott at our lockers, and I spotted Allison talking to Jackson and Lydia. I arched a brow. "Two seconds here and she's already been graced with the presences of Jackson Whittemore and Lydia Martin."

"She's hot," Stiles shrugged. "Beautiful people herd together."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Stiles." I meant it in a joking way, of course. I definitely wasn't the worst-looking girl around, but I definitely wasn't on the same level as Lydia Martin and Allison Argent.

"Well, you're my sister," Stiles pointed out the obvious. "I'm like, obliged to insult and hurl harsh words that don't really mean anything to you, especially since I'm your twin and all."

"And that means I'm obliged to just hit you when you're being stupid," I replied, smacking his chest with the back of my hand.

"_Ouch_!" Stiles exclaimed, rubbing the spot I just hit. "You'd think Dad would do something about this abuse you direct towards me!"

I noticed a dazed look on Scott's face and nudged my brother. "Scott?" I called.

"Yo!" Stiles said, but no response.

I snapped my fingers in front of Scott's face, and that was when he snapped out of it. "What?" he inquired.

"Dude, you were like, a million miles away," Stiles pointed out. "You get everything you need for bio?" When Scott nodded, I closed my locker and we proceeded to head to our biology class.

The rest of the day was, for the lack of a better word: boring. There wasn't really anything interesting that went on. It was just a typical first day: syllabi, new seats, some assigned seating you either loved or you hated (mostly hated), and choosing seats you loved.

It wasn't until lacrosse practice did things really get interesting.

I was sitting on the bottom bleachers, closest to the bench. The chances of Stiles and Scott being benched even during practice was pretty high. I love both the boys to death, but they just weren't good at lacrosse.

"-gonna make first line," Scott told Stiles as the two approached me.

"Hey," Stiles greeted me with a nod. He tossed his backpack at my feet and Scott did the same after giving me a smile.

"I swear, this season, I'm gonna make first line," Scott told me, after seeing my weary expression of his declaration to Stiles. "I love talking to you, Sindy, but I'm gonna make it."

I nodded slowly, and was about to say something else, but saw that Scott had this faraway look on his face. I turned around, and immediately spotted what had caught his attention.

It was the new girl: Allison. She was with Lydia, and the two had placed themselves on one of the bleachers. There was no doubt that Lydia was here for Jackson and she just dragged Allison along for the hell of it.

"McCall!" I heard Coach Finstock say. He tossed Scott some goalie equipment while Stiles just took a seat on the bench in front of me.

"I sure hope Scott's gonna be okay," I frowned, watching him get geared up.

"He'll be fine," Stiles assured me.

Another coach suddenly blew his whistle, and I watched, confused, as Scott gripped his head like something was hurting him. Without warning, a player ran up and launched a ball straight towards Scott. It made contact with his face mask, causing him to fall back.

"Way to take it to the face, McCall!" I heard one of the players jeer.

"That's not good," I frowned, watching Scott get back up on his feet. "C'mon, Scotty!" I called encouragingly.

The next player ran up, but when he launched the ball, I watched as Scott moved up, catching the ball easily.

"Wh-th- Sindy!" Stiles whirled around so fast he almost fell. "Did you see that?! Scott caught the ball!"

And then, he did it again! And again! And _again_!

"Holy crap," I commented, amazed. I noticed someone got out of their place in line, and frowned when I realized that it was Jackson. "This can't be good…"

Jackson charged forward, with the ball ready. He swung, and the ball headed straight towards Scott. But then, Scott angled his body and caught it!

I jumped up from my seat in joy. "Yeah, Scott!" I cheered, clapping wildly. Stiles was making some strange sounds with his voice, as he was too in shock to even process words.

At the end of practice, Scott declared that we had to go find his inhaler, which he had lost in the reserve last night.

Once Stiles and Scott got out of the former's car and me out of mine, we began the long search for Scott's tiny inhaler.

"So, how'd you do that?" Stiles asked the million dollar question as we stepped through a small little ditch of water. I was glad I had worn my knee-high boots today, and I accepted the lending hands of both of my companions.

"I dunno," Scott replied. "It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball. And that's not the only weird thing. I can hear stuff I can't be able to hear… _smell things_…"

"_Smell_ things?" I inquired, cocking an eyebrow as I kept up with the two easily. I was on the cross country team with these two, and competed in meets regularly.

"Like what?" Stiles added.

"Like mint mojito gum in your pocket," Scott said to Stiles. Then he turned to me, "And the stick of Starbursts in yours."

I knew I had Starbursts in my jacket pocket, but Stiles looked completely confused. "I don't even have mint mojito–" he started, digging into his pockets, but cut himself off when he extracted something.

We both looked at Scott, confused for a second, before the boy turned around to continue his trek through the forest.

"So… all of this started with the bite…" I said slowly, following after Scott.

"Wh-what if it's like an infection?" Scott asked, completely scared. "Like my body's flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock or something."

"You know what?" Stiles said, "I think I've heard of this. It's a specific kind of infection." I looked at my brother curiously, stopping with them.

Scott looked at Stiles, a bit worried. "You serious?"

"Yeah," Stiles nodded determinedly. "I think it's called… _lycanthropy_."

I almost face-palmed myself from that, but stopped from doing so, because Scott's facial expression morphed into pure horror. "What's that? Is that bad?"

"The worst," I supplied, voice cracking from holding in my laughter. Scott took my voice as terror, and he looked completely worried.

"It's only once a month, though," Stiles said.

"Once a month?"

Stiles nodded. "On the night of the full moon." He let out a small howl and Scott's face dropped as he pushed my brother.

I let out a laugh and our best friend huffed, walking away. I exchanged looks with Stiles. We grinned at each other before lightly jogging after Scott.

"You said you heard a wolf howling," Stiles defended us. Well, he mainly defended himself, but _eh_. Minor details.

"There could be something seriously wrong with me!" Scott cried.

"You could be a werewolf," I joked, and Stiles laughed, imitating a growl. "Obviously, we're kidding, Scott."

"Well, if you see me in shop class trying to melt all the silver I could find, it's because Friday's a full moon," Stiles piped in.

Scott stopped, making me pause in my walking as well. He looked around on the ground and said, "I could've sworn this is it. This is where I found the body… the deer came running… I dropped my inhaler here."

"Maybe the killer moved the body," Stiles suggested.

"Well, I sure hope he left my inhaler, the thing's like eighty bucks," Scott retorted.

I let out a laugh, but then winced when Stiles hit me. "Ow!" I exclaimed. I turned to my brother and hit his chest. "Don't _do_ that!"

To my surprise, he didn't even complain. In fact, he was looking somewhere else. I turned around, trying to see what had caught his attention.

My eyes fell on a tall figure a few feet away from us. He was dressed in a black t-shirt, black jeans, and had a black leather jacket thrown over his ensemble. His short black hair was on his head neatly, and as he approached us, I saw his eyes were a pale green.

I couldn't help but notice that he was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. He had an angular jaw, thick brows, and a little dent on his chin.

Scott stood up, and he took a step forward, making sure to cover me slightly.

"What are you doing here?" the handsome stranger demanded. He stopped a mere couple feet from us. "This is private property." Up close, he looked even taller: probably around six feet.

"Uh, sorry, man, we didn't know," Stiles apologized, a bit nervous.

"Yeah, we were just looking for something…" Scott agreed. The man raised his brows at Scott, but the teenager just said, "But… um… forget it."

The man pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it to Scott, who caught it easily. When he opened his palm, I recognized it as his inhaler.

"We're uh, really sorry," I spoke up, taking a step forward. "We'll leave right now."

The man suddenly shifted his gaze, landing on me. I felt a shiver run down my spine at his intense gaze and my heart began to beat faster and faster. He held my gaze for another second before turning around, walking away from us.

"Dudes, that was Derek Hale," Stiles said. The name didn't ring a bell. "You remember him, right? He's only a few years older than us."

"Remember what?" Scott asked.

"His family? They all burned in a fire like ten years ago," Stiles informed us.

My eyes trailed away from Stiles and I watched as Derek Hale's retreating back get smaller and smaller before he disappeared from sight.

"What's he doing back, then…?" I inquired.

* * *

**A/N:** Leave a review? :3 Please _do_ tell me what you think!


	2. My Best Friend's A Werewolf

**A/N:** Thanks to **goddess of the nigth** and **Ayase Yuuki **for reviewing! :) And the 15 faves and 20 follows! ;) Enjoy~

* * *

**FRIDAY  
****JANUARY 14, 2011**

My phone chirped, causing me to glance down at it curiously. I had connected it with the current case my father was currently working on, and since the only people I ever texted (for the most part) were Stiles, Scott, and my dad, I knew it had to be an update.

When I read over what they had found, I shot up from my seat and all but attacked Stiles, who was exiting the locker room.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Stiles exclaimed as I pulled him away into a secluded location. "Where's the fire?"

"The fiber analysis came in," I reported. "They found animal hairs on the body."

"So?" Stiles arched a brow at me. "It's the woods. There are animals in the woods."

"That's not the strange thing," I shook my head, making my hair fall over my shoulder. I brushed some of it back before elaborating, "The hair belonged to wolves."

Stiles's eyes widened and he grabbed my hand. He all but dragged me, and I had to run quickly to keep up with him.

"Scott!" he cried, picking up speed. He spotted our best friend and all but sprinted towards him. "Scott!" he yelled again, his voice cracking. If this was any other time, I'd be laughing, but this was serious. "Wait up!"

"Stiles, I'm playing the first elimination, man. Can it wait?" Scott replied, a bit impatient.

"Just hold on," Stiles insisted. "Sindy's phone is tapped into the databank involving the dead body case. The fiber analysis report came back from LA and they found animal hairs on the body from the woods."

"Stiles, I gotta go," Scott said, a bit distracted.

"Wait!" Stiles protested. "Scott, You're not gonna believe what the animal was-!" But it was futile. Scott had already grabbed his helmet and was already jogging towards the field. "It was a wolf…" Stiles finished dejectedly.

Coach blew his whistle and I patted Stiles's back. "I'm gonna go check out some books on lycanthropy," I told him quietly. "Tell me how practice goes."

Stiles nodded dully and I turned away, walking to the student parking lot. I unlocked my car and slid onto the smooth black leather easily. I closed the door and took a deep breath.

My best friend could be a werewolf.

Okay. I hope he doesn't kill me.

I started the engine, and drove straight to the Beacon Hills Library. I hastily got out of my car, barely remembering to unlock it.

I jogged into the building and headed straight for the mythology section. I bent down to look at the werewolf section, which was at the very bottom.

I blinked, unsure of what to get.

There were a _lot_ of books. That meant a _lot_ of reading to get done. Thankfully, it was a Friday night, so Stiles and I could hit these books before hitting the ones for school.

I grabbed the most obvious one first: _History of Lycanthropy_. I grabbed a few more:

- _The Book of Werewolves: The Classic Study of Lycanthropy  
_- _The Werewolf Handbook: An Essential Guide to Werewolves, and More Importantly, How to Avoid Them  
_- _Werewolves: A Field Guide to Shapeshifters, Lycanthropes, and Man-Beasts  
_- _A Lycanthropy Reader: Werewolves in Western Culture  
_- _The Book of Werewolves  
_- _The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Beings_

and to cover all bases: _The Complete Idiot's Guide to Werewolves_.

I stacked them all on top of each other and struggled to stand up. After some difficulty, I was able to, so I walked to the check-out line to brings these books home.

The guy behind the desk arched an eyebrow at me when he spotted all the books I had. He glanced at the first book before scanning it. "Taking an interest in werewolves?"

"Uh, yeah," I nodded, ignoring the heavy feeling in my gut. "I was watching _Underworld: Rise of the Lycans_ and I just loved the characters, especially the Lycans, and I just wanted to learn more about them."

The man nodded, like he understood completely. "When _Twilight_ first came out, _so_ many girls were checking out books on vampires and werewolves. At least you picked a good series to allow you to want to read more about them."

I gave a small smile at him before he handed me back the stack of books. "Thank you," I said. He nodded, acknowledging me before I left the building.

After pushing the door open with my back and kicking it open, I headed straight to my car. As I was walking, I heard someone ask, "Need some help?"

I angled my head and spotted Derek Hale standing a couple feet away. He was looking at the pile of books in my arms with an unreadable expression.

"Oh, just for a few seconds?" I asked sheepishly. He nodded curtly and easily swiped _all_ the books out of my hands. "I could take a couple…"

He shook his head and just followed me to my car. "Quite an interest you have here," he commented nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah," I let out a small nervous laugh. "My brother checked out a few books on vampires a couple nights ago and now I'm checking out werewolves. We watched _Underworld: Rise of the Lycans_ about a week ago and we wanted to learn more about them."

"Hm…" Derek made a small noise to show that he heard me. I looked at him strangely, but he didn't seem to do anything.

I unlocked my car, opening my trunk. Derek placed the books in the trunk before closing it. He and I stood there for a while before I said, "Uh… thanks for the help. I really appreciate it."

Derek said nothing for a few seconds, before nodding his head. He then pivoted, and began to walk away, not acknowledging me again.

I shook my head at the interaction and climbed into the driver's seat. Instead of heading back to school, I drove directly home, hoping to get a head start on the research I knew Stiles and I were going to be doing.

I stumbled into Stiles's room, throwing the books haphazardly all over his bed. I sat down at the foot of it, and began to open the first page to the first book I grabbed and began reading.

I don't know how long I was reading, but when I was about halfway through the first book, I heard Stiles come crashing through the front door. He slammed the door behind him and I heard his rapid footsteps hurry up the stairs before he threw his door open.

"That all there was?" Stiles asked, hopping into his chair and turning on his laptop.

"That looked credible," I explained. Stiles nodded and when his laptop booted up, he opened up the internet and began to research.

The two of us were silent, which was something amazing. Even though I was the calmer one between us, Stiles could bring out my hyper side. To say the house being quiet with the two of us home together was something that didn't happen often. It was only quiet after we fought, but we forgave each other within a few minutes… then it'd be loud again.

The only sounds that were made were me flipping through pages, Stiles's typing, or Stiles taking some Adderall to stay focused.

It was so quiet that when someone knocked on Stiles's door, I jumped so fast that I fell off of his bed. "Hide the books!" Stiles rushed me and I stood up quickly, throwing Stiles's blanket over the books.

He cautiously opened the door, and when it revealed a smiling Scott, we both heaved out sighs of relief. "Get in," he ordered. "You gotta see this. So we've been reading nonstop since we got home - websites, books, all kinds of information."

"How much Adderall have you had today?" Scott inquired curiously.

"A lot," Stiles replied, not sure himself. "Doesn't matter, okay? Just listen."

"Oh? Is this about the body?" Scott asked, throwing his backpack on the floor before sitting down next to me. "Did they find out who did it?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head. "They're still questioning people, even Derek Hale."

"The guy we saw in the woods the other day?" Scott inquired, looking at me with his head cocked to the side.

"Yeah, but that's not it, okay?!" Stiles replied, whirling around in his chair to look at the two of us.

Scott looked taken aback but nodded nonetheless, "Okay… what then?"

"Remember the joke in the woods the other day?" Stiles questioned.

When Scott nodded, I sighed. "Well, it's not a joke anymore," I told him, making him look totally confused.

"What do you mean?"

"The wolf - the bite in the woods… We started doing all of this reading. Do you even know why a wolf howls?" Stiles exclaimed, standing up.

"Should I?" Scott asked Stiles before turning to me.

"It's a signal," I supplied, knowing my brother was too wired up. "When a wolf's alone, it howls to signal its location to the rest of the pack. So, if you heard a wolf howling, that means others could be nearby, maybe even a pack of them."

"A whole pack of wolves?" Scott looked totally confused.

"No," Stiles shook his head. "Werewolves."

Scott looked completely upset as he stood up. In defense, I stood up as well, but since I stood only to the boys' chins, it wasn't much. "Are you guys seriously wasting my time with all of this? You guys know I'm picking up Allison in an hour."

"I saw you on the field today, Scott," Stiles interjected. "Okay? What you did wasn't just amazing, alright? It was impossible."

"Yeah, so I made a good shot," Scott shrugged, picking up his backpack.

"No," Stiles firmly shook his head. "You made an _incredible_ shot. I mean, the way you moved - your speed, your reflexes… Y'know, people can't just suddenly do that overnight. A-and then there's the vision and the senses… and don't even think that I don't notice that you don't need your inhaler anymore."

"Okay!" Scott snapped, and I was taken aback. Scott hardly even snapped at us. "Look, I can't talk about this now. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Scott, the full moon is _tonight_," I said firmly. "Don't you understand?"

"What are you two trying to do?!" Scott cried, looking at me. I noticed his eyes flashed a bright gold before reverting back to his normal chocolate brown. "I just made first line, I got a date with a girl who I can't believe wants to go out with me, and everything in my life is somehow perfect. Why are my best friends trying to ruin it for me?!"

"We're trying to help," Stiles pleaded. "You're cursed, Scott."

"You changing is the least of our worries," I tried to explain. "The full moon will also cause your bloodlust to be at its peak."

"Bloodlust?"

"Yeah," Stiles nodded. "Your urge to kill."

"I'm already starting to feel an urge to kill, Stiles," Scott said pointedly, looking at my brother.

"Scott," I sighed, picking up the book I was reading. "'The change can be caused by anger or anything that raises their pulse.'"

"I don't know about you, but I haven't seen anyone that raises your pulse like Allison does!" Stiles quipped. I would've laughed at any other time, but again… not the time. "You gotta cancel this date. I'm gonna call her right now."

Stiles walked over to where Scott's backpack was and began to rummage through it.

"What are you doing?!" Scott demanded.

"I'm cancelling the date," Stiles explained.

"No!" Scott yelled. "Give it to me!" My eyes widened in shock as Scott pinned Stiles against the wall with his left arm while he pulled his right hand back, forming a fist.

Before he did anything, though, Scott let out an angry roar and knocked Stiles's chair to the ground. I jumped back from the sudden movement and to avoid my feet being crushed. Scott heaved heavily as he released Stiles. My eyes met Scott's, but I looked down, unable to react to what had just happened.

I could feel him look between Stiles and me a couple of times before he said, "I'm sorry." There was more heavy breathing as he continued, "I - I gotta get ready for that party."

I retaliated when Scott got a bit too close to me to grab his backpack. I peeked up between my hair and saw the hurt expression on his face. I looked away again, completely ashamed. I don't know what I was ashamed for.

Was it because my best friend is a werewolf and I can't accept it? No… I've accepted it just fine… Was it because my best friend scares me half to death? … That's probably it.

"I'm sorry," I heard Scott say again before the door was shut.

My knees gave my weight away and I tumbled to Stiles's bed, sitting on it. My hands were visibly shaking and I heard Stiles pick up his chair.

"Sindy…" Stiles called for my attention. I looked up, trying to will my hands to stop the shaking. Silently, Stiles spun his chair so the back was to me, and I could see three distinct tears that resembled claw marks.

"Oh God…" I breathed out. He really was a werewolf. Then I realized something. "We need to go to that party," I declared. "If Scott gets out of control, we'll have to take him somewhere else."

"Sindy, you could get hurt," Stiles said, looking at me.

"And Scott can hurt everyone else," I shot back. "I can take care of myself, Stiles. Besides…" I started, but trailed off. It wasn't for another half a minute before I continued, "I was… scared of Scott. I saw how I hurt him. If anyone is going to be hurt the most, it'll be Scott. We have to be there for him."

Stiles let out a sigh, but I'm sure it was because I was too stubborn and not because he didn't want to help Scott. "Fine, but the second he gets out of control and we're alone, you run, alright?"

"I'm not gonna leave you alone with him, Stiles," I frowned.

"_Promise_ me," Stiles almost begged me. "Please."

I looked into his eyes, which were just a couple shades darker than my caramel-colored ones. "Fine," I muttered. That seemed to satisfy him, and I got up from the bed. "I'm gonna go get ready. We'll take my car."

"Fine by me," Stiles shrugged before I left the bedroom.

I headed to my own room and opened my closet, grabbing a random dress from the casual dress section I had. These dresses were a bit fancy to wear to school, but hey, there were some days I felt like dressing up.

I looked down at what I had grabbed and saw that it was a black Rebecca Taylor ponte and lace v-neck mini-dress. I vaguely remembered that even though it was originally a $350 dress, I had a 70% off coupon _and_ free shipping and handling, so I only had to pay $105 for it, which wasn't bad.

I worked at the Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital as a filer and re-stocker. It wasn't much, but I got paid a good $10 an hour and I worked ten hours a week, even more during breaks. It was how I was able to get a car that was a lot better than Stiles's jeep (since I actually had money to pay for my own gas).

An hour later, I was freshly showered and was putting the last finishing touches of the mascara that I was wearing. I had added some extra curls to my hair, and as I was putting on my chapstick, my brother knocked on my door.

"You ready yet?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah!" I called back. I threw my chapstick in my clutch bag before walking to my door and throwing it open.

Stiles looked at me up and down before asking, "You sure you don't wanna change?" I rolled my eyes and shoved him out of my way lightly, heading downstairs. "Seriously, Sindy. I've got enough troubles with Scott. I don't need to go around beating other guys with a bat."

My brother and I got along better than most siblings (if I do say so myself). There were no secrets between us. I was the first (or Scott) to know anything that went around Stiles and he (and Scott) were the first to know if there was anything up with me… even crushes.

It didn't take Stiles long to pull up in front of Lydia's house, and when we arrived, the party was in full swing mode.

"I'm gonna go look for Scott!" Stiles shouted to me over the music. I nodded and my brother wandered off.

"Someone's looking fine tonight," a voice drawled. I turned around, feeling my hair brush over my shoulders lightly.

"Jackson," I greeted curtly, nodding my head.

Jackson's eyes scanned me up and down before he grinned wolfishly at me. "Sindy Stilinski… you always clean up real nice."

"Thanks," I replied bluntly. "Shouldn't you be with Lydia? Y'know, your _girlfriend_?"

Jackson held up his hands in an almost defensive way. "I'm just looking, there's no harm in that. No touching's involved at all… unless… you want to." He winked at me.

I frowned. "No, thanks." I turned around and walked away, heading to the cooler. I didn't trust the punch that was being offered, so I found a Coke and popped the tab open, drinking from it.

A flash of black caught my eye and before I knew it, Derek Hale was in front of me in all of his tall, dark, handsome glory. The only difference I saw from the other times I've seen him was that he was wearing a white t-shirt instead of a black one tonight.

"Are you stalking me or something?" I joked, laughing lightly.

The man before me simply continued to look at me. "Where's Scott McCall?"

"Dunno," I shook my head. "My brother's looking for him, though." It was then I noticed someone waving at me, jumping around. I rolled my eyes when I saw it was just my brother. He waved his phone at me and then my keys.

I furrowed my brows in confusion and opened my clutch, pulling out my phone. I had a new text from Stiles: _Scott doesn't look too good. I'm gonna follow him. Be back to pick you up later._

I looked back up and as soon as I gave the nod, he dashed off.

"Scott's not feeling well," I informed Derek. "It looks like my brother's leaving to check up on him. Agh… we should've drove in separate cars…"

"Do you need a ride home?" Derek inquired.

"Do you mind?" I shot back.

"Would I be offering if I did?"

Huh, good point. I observed him for a few seconds, taking in his mostly-clean shaven face. There was a hint of a scruff coming on, but it wasn't there yet. I couldn't help but note that he'd look _extremely_ good with a stubble or scruff.

"Please and thank you?" I smiled innocently. Derek nodded curtly and we began to leave, the mass of sweaty bodies making it slightly uncomfortable.

As soon as we were out of the crowd and in the front yard, it was then I realized it was quite cold. "Oh, jeez," I breathed out. "Maybe I should've stolen Stiles's jacket since he stole my car."

"Your fault for not wearing a jacket when it's January," Derek commented casually. I turned to glare at him, but something black obscured my vision.

I reached up and felt smooth, cold leather. I pulled it away from my face, realizing quickly that it was Derek's leather jacket. "You sure?" I asked.

"Would I be offering if I wasn't?"

I smiled and slipped it on. It was _huge_ to say the least. The sleeves went right past my arms and the jacket was as long as my dress itself. I couldn't help but breathe in the warm scent that engulfed me: woodsy with a thickness that I couldn't place.

I spotted Allison standing at the curb of Lydia's house, looking off into the distance with a look of disbelief. I then remembered that she came with Scott, but he had left with Stiles trailing behind him.

"Allison?" I called for the girl's attention.

The girl whirled around at the sound of my voice and she quickly hid the dejected look she had. "Sindy?" She looked from me to Derek and then back to me.

"This is Derek," I introduced. "He's a… uh… friend of mine. Derek, this is Allison, a friend of mine from school."

Derek nodded his head before pulling out keys from the pocket of his dark jeans. "Do you need a ride home?" Allison nodded slowly before he walked us over to where a Camaro that was _surprise, surprise_, black.

Allison climbed into the back of the car and shut the door behind me before I could climb in. Derek raised an eyebrow at me, gesturing to the passenger seat before climbing in the car himself.

I opened the passenger door and slid in, closing the door behind me. Allison let out a heavy sigh in the back and I heard some rustling. I angled my head, seeing Allison take off her jacket while Derek started the engine.

"Scott's not a bad guy, Allison," I said from where I sat. "He's just going through some… _troubles_ right now."

"Can we not talk about him right now?" Allison asked me.

"Uh… yeah…" I nodded. "Sure." I pulled out my phone, and texted Stiles, saying Allison and I were getting a ride from Derek.

Allison and I gave directions to our houses, and since Allison's was the closest, she was dropped off first. She gave us a small thanks before leaving the car.

Derek then took off, heading in the direction of my house. "You know about Scott, don't you?" he asked me.

The silence was a bit uncomfortable, so I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head, "You should grow out your facial hair."

"Oh, really?" Derek replied. "Why's that?"

"You'd uh… look at lot more h-handsome," I stuttered out, blood rushing to my cheeks. Oh my God, I can't believe I just said. "I mean, it's not that you're bad-looking right now, in fact, you're quite good-looking and… and… and… I'll- I'll just shut up now…" I mumbled the last part. I slunk into the seat, willing myself to get even smaller than I already was. How mortifying.

I heard a small rumble from Derek and I couldn't help but just know that he was laughing _at_ me.

I couldn't help but let out a burst of excitement go through my body when my house came into view. When the car pulled to a complete stop in front of my house, I scrambled out of the seat, rushing out a quick, "Thank you!" before all but running into my house.

I slammed the door shut and placed my back against it.

Oh, God. I can't believe I just told a _hot_ twenty-something-year-old that I thought he was hot. Fuck my life.

My phone rang, echoing throughout the silent house suddenly and I jumped in shock. I dug into the pocket of… oh crap, I still had Derek's jacket and he had my clutch… which I forgot in my haste.

When I pulled it out, it stopped ringing. I saw I had a missed call from Stiles, and before I could even call him back, it began to ring again.

"Where's the fire?" I joked, answering the phone call.

"Sindy_!"_ Stiles exclaimed in relief. _"Thank God you're alright!"_

"Why wouldn't I be?" I cocked my head to the side, confused.

"_Sindy, Scott found out who bit him,"_ Stiles reported and I stood up, attentive. _"It's Derek Hale."_

I dropped my phone in shock, making it clatter to the ground. Thankfully, it was durable enough to not break. _"Sindy?"_ I heard faintly. _"Sindy?!"_

I dropped to my knees and picked up my phone. "I-I'm alright. I-I just…" I exhaled deeply. "I need to get some sleep."

"_Go ahead,"_ Stiles said. _"I'll be home in ten minutes."_

I nodded dully and heard a _click_, signaling he had hung up. I trekked upstairs slowly and all I could think was one thing: I pretty much just hit on a werewolf that was going to kill me.

* * *

**A/N:** Drop a review? They keep me sane. :3


	3. Nightmares Commence

**A/N:** So my sister wanted me to update this series, even though she doesn't even watch _Teen Wolf_. What the hell. Stop reading this and go watch it. For those of you that did read it, OH MY GOD. LAST NIGHT'S EPISODE. AIFUEBHENUDJ. Special thanks to **goddess of the nigth****, ****She-WolfMoon, wolviegirl, Ayase Yuuki, and SweetCheeks94** for reviewing!

* * *

**MONDAY  
****JANUARY 17, 2011**

I adjusted my bag as I waited for the boys to arrive from the locker room. Because of the whole Derek-Hale-giving-me-a-ride-home thing, Stiles and Scott made it their job to make sure I was with one of them (or better yet: both) so Derek didn't ambush me and turn me, too.

I dug into my bag, looking for a book to read, when something caught my eye: It was my clutch, which I had forgotten in Derek's car the other night.

I had gotten to school earlier today and when I opened my locker, there, sitting on top of my books, was the clutch I had forgotten in my haste of embarrassment on Friday night.

After Stiles checked it for anything: bombs, trackers, stolen items - jeez, the guy was a _werewolf_ not a thief and bomber (I think) - he gave it back to me.

I snapped out of my thoughts when Stiles came barreling right towards me, almost crashing into the bleachers in the midst of stopping so suddenly.

"We got a big problem," Stiles panted out.

"Where's the fire?" I blinked, cocking my head to the side.

"Remember the hunters Scott told us about?" Stiles inquired. What a dumb question, obviously I did. Apparently, he realized it and then brushed it off, "Nevermind. Stupid question. Anyway, Allison's father was one of them."

My jaw dropped.

"Yeah," Stiles nodded, deeming my reaction appropriate.

Coach blew his whistle, and Stiles patted my shoulder. I nodded, wishing him a quick, "Good luck," before he jogged onto the field.

Practice was just like any other day, so I was just reading _Maximum Ride_ when I heard a _thud_. Curiosity got to me, and I looked up. Scott was on the floor, and Jackson was walking away from him.

Finstock walked over to him, and began to scold Scott, calling him slower than his dead grandmother. I pursed my lips, tensing up. This was _not_ good.

I could practically _feel_ how tense Scott was. He jogged over so he was in front of Stiles and stared down at Jackson. When Finstock blew his whistle, Scott charged.

He gave no mercy and ran right into Jackson, making him fall to the ground. I stood up quickly when Scott gripped his head tightly, like he was in pain.

I ran over to Scott quickly, and gripped his shoulders tightly. Stiles came running towards us and gripped the other side of Scott.

"Scott?" I called. When I heard no response, I tried again, "Scotty?"

"Scott, you okay?" Stiles inquired.

"I can't control it, guys, it's happening," Scott hissed out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, right here?" Stiles was panicked. His eyes darted to where the others were surrounding Jackson and then at me. "We gotta get him out of here."

"The locker room," I rushed out. "Let's go."

Stiles nodded, gripping Scott's right side. I grabbed onto his left and we hoisted him up, rushing to to the locker room.

As we jogged past the bleachers, a black spot stood out from all the greenery that surrounded us. My eyes made swift contact with a pale green and I felt his eyes bore into my soul. Derek was here.

I suddenly stumbled over the speed, unable to keep up with the boys. I quickly caught myself, remembering what was more important: Scott.

I let go of Scott partway to the locker room and ran ahead, picking up speed easily. I raced down the hallway, and pushed open the door ungracefully, almost tumbling into the room.

Stiles brought Scott in a few seconds later and the latter all but pushed the former away from him. We tried to go help him, but he simply looked at us and I found myself looking into golden eyes and large fangs.

"_Get away from me_!" Scott roared, and I fell back in shock.

"Crap, crap, crap," I cursed, and Stiles grabbed my hand and we rushed away from him, scrambling. I tripped over a bench and cursed out, "Fuck!" before Stiles and I stumbled against the lockers.

I heard a crash, which signalled me to look upwards. Scott was on top of the lockers, glowering down at us from behind his lacrosse mask.

"Shit," Stiles cursed. "Split up, maybe we'll confuse him." He pushed me away and we darted in different directions.

I heard snarling, which echoed through the empty locker room, but whenever Stiles and I scrambled, we would make a small crashing noise.

"To the door, the door!" I cried, pointing hurriedly towards the exit.

"Easier said than done!" Stiles retorted, and I almost banged my head against some lacrosse gear. _Boys_.

I spotted Stiles grab the fire extinguisher that was near the door and he ripped off the tab. When he aimed it at Scott, nothing shot out.

"Swishing motion!" I ordered. I grabbed the tube and Stiles pressed down. I swiped the tube, and it let out a hiss before the carbon dioxide came spurting out in a white fog.

We backed out of the room and I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. I glanced over at Stiles, and he was mirroring my expression. It was times like these did Stiles and I truly felt like twins.

"Stiles… Sindy…?" I heard a weak Scott call out.

Cautiously, we peaked in the room. Scott had removed his helmet to reveal his sweaty face. His eyes were back to being brown and from the looks of it, his incisors were the length of a human's.

"What happened?" Scott asked upon seeing us.

Seeing as Scott was back to normal, I tossed the fire extinguisher down onto the ground carelessly while Stiles took off his gloves.

"You tried to kill us," Stiles clued him in.

"It's like we said," I said, taking a seat beside Scott, "anger is the trigger. Your pulse rises, you transform."

"But that's lacrosse," Scott explained. "It's a pretty violent game, if you haven't noticed."

"Well, it's gonna be a lot more violent if you end up killing someone on the field," Stiles pointed out.

"Stiles," I snapped, making my brother look at me. "Not helping." Stiles shrugged, giving me a 'What can you do about it?' face. I turned my attention back to Scott, "Scott, you can't play in the game on Saturday."

"But I'm first line," Scott protested.

"Not anymore," Stiles and I retaliated.

I then heard some loud laughing and talking, along with some shuffling, and realized the rest of the boys were coming back from their practice. I glanced up from where I sat just as Danny came walking in, leading the others.

"I figured you'd be here," Danny commented, looking at me. He held up my bag and explained, "You left this out there."

"Thanks, Danny," I said, standing up and taking the bag. Danny nodded, turning his attention to Scott. I shuffled a bit before asking, "How's Jackson?"

"Coach is with him," Danny said to me, but not at me. "They don't know for sure, yet." Scott looked away before Danny turned his attention back to me. "You should leave before Coach comes."

I nodded, giving another thanks to Danny before leaving the locker room.

After leaving the locker room, I sighed heavily before heading to my car.

Before I could get into my car, I felt myself get pulled away. I opened my mouth to let out a scream, but a hand clamped over my lips, making me release inaudible sounds.

"Keep quiet," a deep voice rumbled into my ear. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I heard a hidden threat in-between the order. "I'm going to let you go. Do not scream, got that?"

My eyes widened fearfully and I nodded slowly.

True to his word, my captor released me. I was spun around and came face to chest with a Henley shirt. I glanced up, seeing a light scruff before I made contact with pale green.

"Derek…" I exhaled, my heart rate slowing a bit. Despite what Stiles and Scott said, I trusted Derek to an extent. I still had no idea how trust-worthy he was, but he hadn't done anything to betray my trust just yet.

"Scott can't play the game on Saturday," Derek wasted no time telling me.

"Tell me something I don't already know," I retorted. He glowered down at me like he was going to hurt me, but something told me he wasn't. I didn't back down. "Something tells me you didn't bite Scott, too."

Derek cocked an eyebrow at me. "And what makes you say that so confidently? Hm?"

"I…" I began. Derek's eyebrow raised even higher. "I don't know… That's what my gut tells me," I breathed out. Then I remembered something, "Did - did you… kill that girl? In the woods?" It kinda felt like I was that girl from _Twilight_.

Ugh. Bad reference. Sorry.

"What does your gut tell you?" Derek asked back. Before I could reply, he suddenly turned to the school. He turned back to me and said lowly, "I'm leaving. Make sure Scott _does not_ play." Without waiting for any confirmation, he stalked away.

"Do I want to know why you're totally staring off into space?" Stiles inquired, walking out to join me.

I shrugged. I had learned that if I lied, my heart would stutter, and Scott would be able to pick it up. I simply climbed into my car and said, "I'll meet you back at home. I gotta run a couple errands first." Stiles nodded in confirmation and I gave Scott a wave before driving off.

After finishing off my errands within a couple hours, I drove back to my house. I called for Stiles to help me put away the groceries, and he came running downstairs with a toy gun.

"Do I want to know why?" I inquired, arching a brow at him. He shrugged and I handed him a paper bag full of items.

Once everything was put away, I climbed upstairs. Stiles called out, "Log online!" and I did so.

I changed into comfortable pajamas: a large t-shirt and shorts, before I had an incoming video call. I accepted it and was immediately greeted with Stiles and Scott's faces.

"_What'd you find out?"_ Scott inquired.

"_Well,"_ Stiles started, sighing, _"it's bad. Jackson's got a separated shoulder."_

"_Because of me?"_ Scott almost sounded like he was whining.

"_Because he's a tool,"_ Stiles responded.

"Is he gonna be able to play?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"_They don't know yet,"_ Stiles told me. _"Now they're just counting on you for Saturday."_

I heard Scott let out a heavy sigh and I noticed a shadow behind him. There was _no way_ that was his mom. I saw that Stiles was typing, but before it sent, we disconnected.

"_FUCK_!" I heard Stiles yell from his room. I got out of my seat, heading to Stiles's room. When I got there, I spotted Stiles intensely hunched over his laptop.

"Oh God," I gaped. "Is that-?"

"Derek?" Stiles interrupted me. "Yeah." I watched as Derek pinned Scott to the wall, vehemently whispering words I couldn't here.

Then, as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared.

"Scott…?" Stiles and I inquired, a bit unsure.

"You okay, buddy?" Stiles added.

"I-I-I'm fine," Scott stuttered out. He looked a bit shaken up as he plopped back into the chair. "I-I can't play the game Saturday."

**FRIDAY  
****JANUARY 21, 2011**

"So, how'd it go?" I asked, approaching Scott. He groaned and banged his head against his locker. "Don't hold back your great mood," I commented sarcastically.

"Not the best time, Sindy," Scott grumbled, referring to my sarcasm. He shifted his backpack over his shoulder and we began walking to our next class. "I get enough of that from Stiles."

Before we could do anything, said boy grabbed Scott, who instinctively grabbed my wrist. We let Stiles drag us behind a wall and he pushed Scott in front of us. "Tell me what they're saying."

I glanced up the stairs, and that was when I noticed my dad talking with the principal. I watched as Scott narrowed his eyes, his focus totally on our dad.

"Curfew because of the body," he reported.

Stiles scoffed disbelievingly. "Unbelievable. My dad's out looking for a rabid animal, while the jerk-off who actually killed the girl is just hangin' out, doing whatever he wants."

"Well, you can't exactly tell your dad the truth about Derek," Scott pointed out.

"Are you sure it's Derek?" I asked, making the two boys swirl to me. "I-I mean maybe it could be someone else…"

"Sindy," Stiles sighed, "I know you like the guy and all, but do you honestly think that there's someone _else_ out there that's _worse_ than Derek?"

"I don't like him," I grumbled.

"Oh, you do," Stiles answered. "I saw that 'oh my God he's so hot' look on your face when we first met him. _Dude_!" He pushed at my shoulder, but not roughly.

"So I find him hot, whatever," I shrugged, pushing Stiles back as well. "At least he knows of my existence."

"What're you talking about?" both Stiles and Scott asked, mirroring each other's confusion.

I shrugged. "I might've run into him more than once these past couple of weeks…"

"Are you trying to get yourself _killed_?" Stiles and Scott exclaimed. Thankfully, the hallway was so loud that their exclamations were blocked out. Sometimes, I think Stiles and Scott were the twins, not Stiles and I.

"We gotta do something about this," Stiles declared. He didn't even wince when I hit his chest.

"Like what?" Scott turned to his partner in crime.

"Find the other half of the body," Stiles said. Without even waiting for a reply, he walked off, leaving Scott and me alone.

"Are you kidding?!" Scott exclaimed to Stiles's retreating back, but the latter didn't bother to look back at us. He sighed heavily before something caught his attention.

I was about to chase after him, but was stopped by a voice. "Hey, Sindy!"

I whirled around at the sound of my name being called. "Oh, hey, Danny," I greeted.

"I kind of sort of ditched history the other day to go check up on Jackson…" Danny trailed off. "Did you take notes on last night's reading?"

Usually when there were readings, I liked to take notes so I could remember the details more clearly, and so I could study more properly. Also, there were times Stiles and Scott didn't actually _do_ the reading, so they'd look over my notes to not be _totally_ screwed.

"Yeah," I nodded, reaching into my bag. I opened my binder, quickly finding the notes. I handed it to Danny, who gave me a grateful thanks. "No prob." He and I then turned our heels, walking in different directions.

"-rek."

"Your friend?"

"He's not my friend. How much did you talk to him when he drove you and Sindy home?"

"Mmm, not much at all."

"What did you say?"

I noticed he was scaring Allison with his pushiness, so I stepped forward, linking my arm with Scott's. "Hey, Scotty!" I exclaimed, making him break eye contact with his potential girlfriend.

"Now's not the time, Sindy," Scott huffed, looking down at me. "Tell me about the night Derek drove you two home."

"Not much happened," I told him honestly. "If anyone was doing the talking, it was me. You know how I ramble when I'm not completely comfortable."

Scott looked thoughtful for a second, looking off in the distance.

'_Is he okay?'_ Allison mouthed me.

I rolled my eyes in response before mouthing, _'I'll deal with him.'_

Allison nodded her head before saying, "I… gotta get to class. I have a…" She didn't even bother finishing her excuse before walking off, even though we had a good four minutes to get to class.

Scott looked down at me with a pleading look. "Could you talk to her? I-I have to go do something."

"I hope it's not _too_ stupid," I sighed, releasing my grip on him. I brushed a lock of hair out of my face. "Go." He gave me a thankful look, like I just gave him a treat and then ran off.

I walked to French, the one class I didn't have with Stiles and/or Scott. I did have it with Allison, though, and I had invited her to sit next to me on the first day back, so we were partners.

I slipped into the seat next to Allison and she didn't waste any time asking me, "What was going on out there?"

"Scott was just being Scott," I sighed out, shaking my head. "Don't let it get to you. He gets… overprotective, sometimes."

"Does it happen a lot?" Allison asked, "with you?"

"All the time," I rolled my eyes. "Stiles and Scott are like _this_," I emphasized with wrapping my middle finger over my index to show how close they were.

"I mean, like, _specifically_ with you," Allison elaborated.

I turned my head fully to her, cocking my head to the side in confusion. _Specifically_ with me? She means like - "Oh!" I exclaimed. "Are Scott and I…?" I trailed off. She nodded. I shook my head. "No, no, no. He's like, another brother to me. By all means, please, go for him. I've never seen him enraptured with any girl besides you before."

Allison's cheeks tinged pink a bit. "Really?"

"Please, keep him sane for us," I confirmed, just as the bell rang.

Halfway through class, my phone vibrated. I glanced up to see if the teacher was still lecturing. When I saw that she and her back to the class, I unlocked my phone and read the text from Scott to Stiles and me.

**Scott McCall****: **_**Found the body. Come to my place ASAP.**_

**Sindy Stilinski: **_**In class. Be there when school ends.**_

**Stiles Stilinski: **_**Crap. TELL ME LATER.**_

The three of us had our own little group message chat because it was always a lot easier to pass on information through each other that way. Either way, the other was going to find out, so it was always best for us to just group chat everything instead of one-on-one. Before texting became a thing, we had many three-way phone calls.

When the bell to end class rang, I stood up, gathering my stuff. I heard the sound of rushed footsteps all but pound into the room, and when I glanced up, Stiles was there, jittery with anticipation.

"Hurry up!" he urged, swiping my binder for me. "Let's go!" Allison looked at Stiles with confusion, but walked off, no doubt to meet up with Lydia.

"The information's not going anywhere, Stiles," I sighed, but grabbed everything else.

Stiles all but ran out the door, and I had to jog to follow behind him. I guess we were ditching our last period of the day. Oh well, it's not like Finstock cared about schooling. He was known for bribing his players with As.

I climbed into Stiles's jeep, since we had ridden in his car today, and he took off before I could even get my seatbelt all the way on.

Stiles barely remembered to place the car into park before yanking the keys out and rushing into the McCall residence. I climbed out and jogged after my brother, watching as he took three steps at a time to get to Scott's room.

He threw open Scott's door, yelling, "What did you find?! How did you find it? Where did you find it? And, yes, I've had a lot of Adderall, so-"

I let out a heavy sigh, plopping myself onto Scott's maroon sheets. Having a brother with ADHD was exhausting sometimes.

"I found something at Derek Hale's," Scott reported to us.

I sat up straighter at the mention of his name. "Are you kidding, what?" I demanded.

"There's something buried there," Scott said to us. "I could smell blood."

"That's awesome!" Stiles exclaimed. I glowered at him. "I uh, mean, that's terrible. Whose blood?"

"I don't know," Scott said, standing up. "But when we do, your dad nails Derek for the murder, and then _you two_ will help me figure out how to play lacrosse without changing, because there's no way I'm _not_ playing that game."

He threw his restrung lacrosse stick on the bed just as I stood up. They were really determined about this.

"Even if Derek's the murderer," I sighed as I followed them down the stairs, "what'll happen if he catches us."

"I'll come up with a plan," Stiles assured us, but it didn't seem very reassuring. Even though I didn't believe Derek was a murderer, I knew he was a _werewolf_, and I'm starting to think that was even worse than a murderer.

Stiles first drove us to the Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. "I swear, if you guys get me fired…" I began, but before I could finish my threat, Stiles cut me off.

"Relax," he said, patting my shoulder. "When have we ever sold you out?" I looked at the two pointedly. "...Okay, so maybe we have, but this is different. Don't worry about it, alright?"

I rolled my eyes before looking at Scott. "The morgue should be easy enough to find. I'll keep a lookout from across the hall."

"I'll be in the waiting area," Stiles informed. "Good luck, I guess?"

Scott entered the morgue and I leaned against the wall, waiting for Scott. A few minutes later, Scott walked out of the door. I quirked an eyebrow, "Got it?"

"Yeah," Scott nodded.

We went to rejoin Stiles, who was reading a pamphlet about the menstrual cycle. "What the hell are you reading?" I asked.

"Holy God!" Stiles jumped when I asked that question.

"The scent was the same," Scott said.

Stiles stood up quickly, focusing intently. "You sure?"

"Yes," Scott nodded his head.

"So he _did_ bury the other half of the body on his property?"

"Which means we have proof he killed the girl."

Both boys turned to look at me, with looks that read, _'I told you so.'_

I sighed for the umpteenth time. "We're gonna need shovels."

Later, I found us staking out the burnt Hale household, waiting for Derek to leave the place.

I didn't get how people could do this crap. It's the most boring thing in the world. I felt my eyelids get heavy, so I lied down on the back seat, before closing my eyes.

It wasn't until I felt something hit me and I unconsciously swung up did I realize I really did fall asleep.

"_Ow_!" I heard Stiles hiss. "Dammit, Sindy, wake _up_!"

I slowly peeled my eyes open, and realized it was completely dark out. "Is he gone?" I mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I sat up.

"_Yes_," Stiles hissed. "So grab a shovel and let's start digging."

"Go suck a lemon," I grumbled, but still grabbing my shovel. I stepped out of the jeep and closed the door behind me.

Stiles shined a flashlight behind me as Scott led us to the burial sight. "Wait, something's different," he said, sniffing around.

"How is it different?" I asked, watching where I was going.

"I dunno," Scott replied. "Let's just get this over with," he declared, digging his shovel into a pile of dirt.

I planted my shovel into the ground, and joined my two companions in their digging.

Now, let me tell you something about shovelling: it's _boring_ and _hard work_. I'm not kidding. You dig a small hole, and then some dirt falls. You dig some more, some more dirt falls. Half of what you dig is immediately buried.

Not to mention how heavy the shovels were.

I can say that I'm mostly fit, but _jeez_. I'm a runner, not a lifter.

"This is taking way too long," Scott said worriedly, voicing my thoughts.

"Just keep going," Stiles insisted.

"What if he comes back?" Scott asked.

"Then we get the hell out of here," Stiles retorted.

"And if he catches us?" I inquired, still digging.

"I have a plan for that," Stiles said smartly.

"Elaborate," I urged him.

"You run one way, Scott runs another, I run another. Whoever he catches first, too bad."

"Oh, I hate that plan," Scott complained. "Sindy never gets caught. It's either you or me."

"Then it's either you or me," Stiles shrugged. He dug his shovel down, and he hit something. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop, stop, stop."

I threw my shovel aside and bent down. I felt the cold, soft yet rough soil brush against my fingers, sticking to my hands as I brushed away the dirt on whatever was barricading our way.

When the dirt was brushed back, it revealed a sack with a bunch of knots tied around it. Stiles immediately began working on the first one.

"Hurry!" Scott urged.

"I'm trying, but did he have to tie the thing in, like, nine-hundred knots?" Stiles scoffed. I worked on the one on the far left while Scott untied the one on the far right.

Damn, these knots were _tight_. Werewolf strength was not to be underestimated. When it was fully untied, we all pulled it back.

I jumped back in shock with a black _thing_ was there instead of a human body. "Oh my God!" I yelled, grabbing my furiously beating chest. "What the hell is that?!"

"It's a wolf!" Scott exclaimed.

"Yeah, we can see that!" Stiles and I exclaimed at the same time.

"I thought you smelled blood, as in, _human blood_!" Stiles added on.

"I told you guys something was different," Scott tried to defend himself.

"I'm gonna have nightmares for a week," I groaned.

Stiles looked at the wolf's body in disbelief. "This doesn't make sense."

"We'll make sense when we get out of here," I sighed, my heart rate slowing down a bit.

"Yeah," Stiles nodded. "Yeah," he repeated. "Help me cover this up." Scott and I began to work on covering the body, which Stiles gripped my elbow, getting dirt on my jacket.

"What is it?" I asked, pausing in my actions. My brother was completely focused on something else.

"You see that flower?" Stiles pointed straight across from us.

I looked at the light blue, almost purple flower that was planted a couple feet from us. "Is that… what I think it is?"

"It's a flower," Scott deadpanned. "What about it?"

"I'm pretty sure that's wolfsbane, Scott," I quipped, looking at him pointedly.

"What's that?"

"Haven't you ever seen _The Wolf Man_?" Stiles looked at Scott. When Scott shook his head, Stiles continued, "Lon Chaney, Jr.? Claude Rains? The original, classic werewolf movie?"

Scott just looked exasperated. "No! What?!"

Stiles and I exchanged looks before sighing in unison. "You are so unprepared for this."

Stiled stood up, walking over to the wolfsbane. He picked it up, only to realize it was attached to a rope. I watched as he pulled on the rope, going around us in circles, almost like a spiral.

I looked down and jumped back in shock again. Dear God, my heart can't take any more of this.

I broke eye contact with the dead, upper half of the body of the woman, unable to keep looking at it any further.

I was gonna have nightmares for a _month_.

* * *

**A/N:** Review? They keep me sane! :3


	4. Game Time

**A/N:** I need a ship name for Derek and Sindy... **PsychoticSmartypants** came up with Sindrek. I was thinking Sinrek... or Derdy. But, that last one, though... It's so... dirty. xD Anyways, thanks to **goddess of the nigth, Ayase Yuuki, wolviegurl**, and PsychoticSmartypants for reviewing. :) Also, happy belated birthday to my little sister.

Happy Reading~!

* * *

**SATURDAY  
****JANUARY 22, 2011**

I watched from far away in the woods as my father arrested Derek. The latter held up no resistance, letting my dad guide him to the cruiser.

I saw him glower at Scott, before his pale green eyes headed straight towards me. I looked away immediately, unable to return his gaze.

I felt someone grab my arm, tugging me forward. "Stiles," I groaned. "What stupid idea do you have _now_?"

He planted me in front of the cruiser and said, "Keep watch," before climbing in the passenger seat. I sighed heavily. It was bad enough I had an alleged murderer mad at me.

I heard Stiles tell Derek, "Okay, just so you know, I'm not afraid of you." There was silence for a bit and I glanced behind me out of curiosity. Derek was glowering at Stiles. "Okay, maybe I am. Doesn't matter. I just wanna know something. The girl you killed - she was a werewolf. She was a different kind, wasn't she? I mean, she could turn herself into an actual wolf, and I know Scott can't do that. Is that why you killed her?"

"Why are you so worried about me when it's your friend that's the problem?" Derek asked instead of replying. "When he shifts on the field, what do you think they're going to do, huh? Keep cheering him on? I can't stop him from playing, but you can." He leaned forward, looking closely at Scott through the small fence that divided them. "And trust me, you want to."

I looked up just in time to see my father standing in front of me. He motioned for me to move aside, and I did. I side-stepped away. Dad popped open the passenger door and dragged Stiles out by the ear.

"Is it really that bad?" I asked, watching my father and brother interact.

"Do you really have to ask such a stupid question?" was my answer.

I spun around so I could look through the window. Derek's eyes met mine and we just stared at each other for God-knows-how-long. I felt… like I was drawn to him.

I leaned forward, resting my forehead against the cool glass, never breaking eye contact. He was also leaning forward, focused on me. When I blinked, it felt like the connection was lost, and I pulled back in shock.

Derek also seemed to be confused as well, backing away, while I stumbled back in shock. Just what _was_ that?

My father gave me a stern look. He then pointed to where Stiles's jeep was parked, silently telling me to leave. I nodded and walked off, heading to the jeep.

Scott let me climb in first before he piled in, closing the door behind him. Stiles reluctantly got into the driver's seat and began to drive off.

Scott pulled out his phone as soon as we took off, trying to search up wolfsbane used for burials. "I can't find anything," he sighed heavily.

"Just keep looking," Stiles said. "Maybe it's like a ritual or something, like maybe they bury you as a wolf. Or maybe it's like a special skill, you know? Like something you have to learn."

"I'll put it on my to-do list," Scott said dryly. "Right underneath figuring out how the hell I'm playing this game tonight."

"Maybe it's different for girl werewolves…" Stiles thought out loud.

"Okay!" Scott yelled. "Stop it!"

"... Stop what?" Stiles inquired, confused.

"Stop saying 'werewolves'! Stop enjoying this so much!" Scott snapped.

"Scott," I reached forward, feeling his tense shoulder. He shrugged my hand off and I masked my hurt. "Are you okay?"

"_No_!" he roared. "No, I'm not! I'm so _far_ from being _okay_!" It made me wonder if becoming a werewolf also tuned them in with their teenaged girl instincts, too. I love Scott and all, but he's being _really_ dramatic.

Get serious, Sindy.

"You're going to have to accept this sooner or later, Scott," Stiles pointed out.

"I can't," Scott choked out.

"You're gonna have to," Stiles continued.

"No! I mean I can't breathe!" Scott groaned in pain and pushed on the ceiling roughly. Well, at least he didn't break through it. The car swerved a bit, but Stiles was able to maintain control. "Pull over!"

"Why? What's happening?!" I exclaimed worriedly. I turned to Stiles, "Stiles, what'd you do?!"

"Why's it automatically my fault?!" he yelled back at me. I looked down at the backpack in my lap. Scott also seemed to have the same idea, because he reached back and roughly yanked it from me.

Scott zipped the backpack open, and pulled out the wolfsbane rope. "You kept it?!"

"What was I supposed to do with it?!" Stiles defended himself.

Scott let out another pained groan before yelling, "Stop the car!" The jeep screeched to a halt so quickly I was almost thrown into the back of the seats. Stiles scrambled to grab the backpack and rope and my eyes followed him.

Stiles threw the items as hard as he could and took deep breaths. "Okay!" he cried. "We're good!"

I focused my attention back to Scott, but only spotted the passenger door swinging open and closed. "Uh… Stiles…?" I called. "We've got a problem."

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Stiles cursed, scrambling into the car. "Where'd he go?!" he looked at me, panicked.

"I don't know!" I yelled back.

"You were supposed to be keeping an eye on him!" Stiles yelled at me.

"You were supposed to _not_ keep the wolfsbane rope! What the hell were you thinking?! It's called wolfs_bane_ for a reason, dumbass!"

"I know, I know!" Stiles ran a hand over his head because he didn't have much hair to run it through. "Damn," he cursed. "Let's go home, first. Hopefully he'll show up at the game."

Stiles slumped back to the jeep while I climbed into the passenger seat. I closed the door and he put the car back into drive.

He began to pull out his phone, activating the speaker. A few seconds later, someone picked up. When Stiles explained that it was him, the owner of the voice sighed heavily.

"_Stiles, you know you can't call the dispatch line when I'm on duty."_

"I just need to know if you've gotten any odd calls," Stiles said. It made me wonder just _how often_ he called the dispatch line.

"_Odd, how?"_

"Uh… like an odd person or… a dog-like individual roaming the streets."

I shot Stiles a look. He returned one that read, _'What?! What else can I say?!'_ I rolled my eyes before burying my face into my hands. _Brothers_.

"_I'm hanging up on you now."_

Stiles threw his phone to the back seat angrily after the operator didn't bother hearing him out. He pressed his foot down on the gas pedal, and I felt us pick up speed.

When Stiles pulled into our driveway a few minutes later, I jumped out of the car. I needed to figure out what had just transpired between Derek and me.

"I need to go find out something," I said hastily to Stiles, grabbing my keys. "I'll be at the game. Text or call me if there's an emergency."

"Our best friend that's a werewolf is on the loose, Sindy," Stiles pointed out. "I count that as an emergency."

I rolled my eyes and elaborated, "_More_ of an emergency. We can't do anything about it now."

"Where are you going?!" Stiles hollered from inside the house.

"To see someone I need answers from!" I cried back, slipping into my car. I heard Stiles yell from the porch, but since I had shut the door, I couldn't hear him.

I was turning out into the main road when my phone rang. I placed it on speaker and answered, "Hello?"

"_YOU CAN'T GO TO DEREK! HE'LL _KILL_ YOU!"_ Well, there was no wasted time with Stiles.

"It'll be fine, Stiles," I assured him. "He's going to be behind steel bars. I'll be on the other side."

"_That's not gonna stop a _werewolf_ with _super-strength_,"_ Stiles retorted. _"He's going to rip your throat out… with his_ teeth_."_

I furrowed my brow, not enjoying the visual. "That's gross, Stiles. I'm gonna hang up on you right now. I'm driving."

"_Wait - Si-"_ I ended the call, filling the car with silence. I made a right and stepped on the gas just a little bit, trying to get to the station faster.

Once I arrived, I parked my car and all but jumped out of it. I had lots of questions. I walked into the front and smiled at the lady at the front desk. "Hi, Tara~" I chirped cheerfully.

Tara gave me a kind smile before greeting me, "Hey, there, Sindy. Your dad's not here right now."

"Oh, I'm not here for Dad," I said, making Tara's face morph into confusion. "I'm here to see someone you have in custody…?" I trailed off. "Derek Hale?" I elaborated.

Tara frowned. "Sindy, he's here for suspicion of _murder_. _You_ should know that. After all, your brother filed the report."

"_Please_, Tara~?" I asked. "Has he taken his one phone call yet?"

The deputy shook her head. "No. He says he didn't want to call anyone."

"Then can _I_ take the place?" I cocked my head to the side. I jutted out my bottom lip, widening my eyes. Very few people said _no_ to this face.

Tara looked at me blankly for a couple seconds. When I thought she wasn't going to break, she let out a heavy sigh. "If I get in trouble for this, I'm throwing you under the bus."

I beamed widely before following after her to the back, where the holding cells were. Derek didn't even bother looking up when we entered, but I had no doubts that he knew I was there. Tara looked down at me sternly and said, "The second you feel uncomfortable, you _leave_, alright?" I nodded and she took one more glance at Derek before leaving the room.

When the door closed, Derek turned his head to look at me. His pale green eyes looked at me emotionlessly before asking, "What do you want?"

"How strong is a werewolf's instinct?" I asked immediately. Similar to my brother, I didn't like to beat around the bush when I needed answers quickly.

The older male before me looked at me blankly for a few seconds. I thought he wasn't going to reply, but it turned out that he was just thinking. "It's… difficult to describe," he finally answered.

I grabbed a chair and carried it with me. I placed it in front of Derek's cell before plopping down on it. He quirked an eyebrow at my actions, but otherwise didn't say anything else. "Try to," I encouraged him.

"There are two ways one can be a werewolf: born and bitten. I was born a werewolf. My control is a lot better than those bitten because I had to deal with it my whole life," Derek informed me. "When a werewolf gives in to his instincts, they become an animal. They'll attack and kill anything they deem a threat. That's what Scott will do at the game."

"So… basically, they're a wild wolf in a human's body…" I tried to understand. "Alright, then. Once we find Scott, we'll be sure to drag him away."

"… What do you mean when you _find_ Scott?" Derek glowered at me. I think it was supposed to be threatening, but to me, it just spiked up a challenge in the pit of my stomach.

I arched my own brow at him and crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not his keeper," I retorted. "Scott may be my best friend, but that doesn't mean I know where he is all the time."

"You lost him," Derek concluded.

"Stiles had the wolfsbane rope in his backpack, it bothered Scott, and he ran off," I admitted rather quickly. _Damn_.

He reached out and grabbed my wrist easily. He pulled me and I stumbled to my feet. I wrapped my hands around the steel bars to keep my balance and I looked up at Derek.

He leaned down and said steely, "You find him. And you stop him, or else he exposes himself _and_ me. Got it?"

My breath got caught in my throat; my eyes were unable to look away. He glowered down at me and took deep, heavy breaths. I could feel the air hit the top of my head, making a couple strands of my hair fall in front of my face.

"Wh-what is this…?" I mumbled out, reaching up, taking my right hand and simply just _touching_ the side of his face.

"I don't know," Derek responded, his voice huskier than it originally was. His eyes flashed an electric blue but then reverted back so quickly, I thought it was a figment of my imagination. "You should get away from me."

"I thought you said you have a strong control…" I muttered out. Despite his words, he only seemed to lean down, getting closer and closer towards me.

All of a sudden, I felt a _whoosh_ as the air was knocked out of me and I all but stumbled back into my seat. I was about to ask what was going on, when I heard keys jingling and the door suddenly opening.

I turned my head around and saw my dad walking in. He looked at me curiously for a second before turning to Derek. "Mr. Hale, due to the reports that the body that was found, belonging to a Miss Laura Hale, was attacked by an animal, you're free to go. I apologize for the inconvenience my children caused." My father looked pointedly at me.

"Actually, Sindy here was just here to apologize," Derek replied in a rather respectful tone. "I was just assuring her that it was okay."

Dad looked at me with a raised eyebrow before going to unlock Derek's holding cell. Derek stepped out and threw me a glance.

Dad cleared his throat before saying, "Uh, just go to the front desk and fill out the papers we have for you. Once done, you're free to go."

Derek silently nodded before walking away, leaving my father with me. Dad looked at me and commented, "I didn't know you knew Derek Hale."

"Kinda…" I shrugged. "We haven't really run in the same crowd until just recently."

"Oh, really, now?" Dad inquired. "Do I want to know what kind of 'crowd' you and Stiles run in to be acquainted with Derek Hale?"

"Uh… well, it's more like we've coincidentally run into each other multiple times," I replied. "But… you don't really want to know what we do."

Dad gave me what I dubbed his "Sheriff Look". "It's not illegal, is it? Not drugs or anything, right?"

"_No_!" I exclaimed quickly. "God, _no_, Dad! How could you think that?!"

"The way you implied it!" Dad retorted back. But he gave out a heavy sigh, "Well, at least I'm doing _some_thing right." He suddenly look like he aged five years right in front of my eyes.

I reached forward, reaching to touch his arm to comfort him. "You're doing a great job, Dad." He gave me a smile before he and I headed to the front desk.

Derek was finishing up his papers when Dad asked, "Do you need a ride back home, Derek?"

"No, thanks," Derek replied, looking up from his papers. "I'm going to head to the lacrosse game at the high school first."

"Aren't you heading there?" Dad asked me.

"Yeah, to cheer on Scott and Stiles," I nodded. At the mention of Scott's name, I saw Derek's eyes narrow. I turned to Derek and offered, "If you want, I could give you a ride there."

Derek nodded mutely and Tara took back the papers he filled out. "You're free to go, Mr. Hale. Once again, our deepest apologies."

"I'll see you at the game in a bit?" I asked Dad.

Dad nodded his head, pointing to his office. "I have a couple things to fill out first. I'll make it, though." I nodded and the werewolf followed me out of the station.

I climbed into the driver's side of my car and Derek silently got in the passenger seat. We drove for a few minutes, before Derek spoke up first.

"What happened, down at the station… forget it happened. Don't ever bring it up again, got it?" Derek ordered me.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel before making a right turn. I pursed my lips for a couple of seconds before saying, "Yeah… got it." He was Derek, after all. I didn't know him that well, but I could tell he wasn't the kind of guy to actively pursue _whatever_ we had developing.

He pursed his lips to hold something he wanted to say in before he turned, looking out the window.

I pulled into the school, finding a place next to Stiles's jeep, which was surprising. I guess people just _knew_ I parked next to his jeep. I got out of the car, popping open the trunk as I did so.

I looked at the two spare jerseys I kept in my trunk. Stiles and Scott weren't the best at keeping spares, so I took it upon myself to keep them in my trunk, since I was almost always with them anyway.

I grabbed Scott's jersey, since he was… going to play today, from the looks of it. Stiles and I didn't really have the power to stop him. I threw on the jersey over my clothes, letting it fall over me like a dress.

"I thought your brother's number was twenty-four," Derek commented from where he leaned against my car.

"But Scott's number eleven," I replied. "I'm heading to the locker room. I'll… see you later, I guess." Without waiting for a response, I walked off, heading into the school. Hopefully, _both_ Stiles and Scott were inside.

I knocked on the door to the closed locker room, hoping the boys were mostly decent. The door opened and Danny stared down at me. "Everyone decent?" I asked, not keeping my eyes off the taller boy. I didn't want to peer behind him and be scarred for life.

"Unfortunately," Danny joked back and stepped aside for me to enter.

I walked over to where the two boys were sitting. "Oh, thank God you're here," I sighed, greeting the two, taking a seat next to Scott. "Are you sure you want to play?"

Scott frowned at me and retorted, "I want a semi-freaking-normal life; you get it?"

"We do," Stiles and I sighed at the same time.

Stiles plopped down at next to me and looked down at his best friend. "Just try not to worry about too much out there, okay? Or get too angry?"

"I got it," Scott responded.

"Or stressed," Stiles added.

"I got it."

Oh, no. I could see where this was going.

"Don't think about Allison being in the stands. Or that her father's trying to kill you. Or that Derek's trying to kill you. Or the girl _he_ killed. Or that _you_ might kill someone. If the hunter doesn't kill you first-"

"Stiles," I interrupted, seeing Scott's distressed look.

"Sorry," Stiles mumbled, realizing what he just did. "I'll stop…"

Then I remembered something. "Oh! Speaking of-"

I was interrupted by the blow of a whistle from the coach's office. I carefully stood up, trying not to be seen by Coach Finstock. I did _not_ want to hear that speech from _Independence Day_ again. I slipped out of the locker room easily before heading to the stands.

I waited on the bench, since I was unofficially the emergency medic of the team. I had taken a sports med class and was approved by the school nurse to take care of injuries that required first aid. When the players came walking out, everyone started cheering loudly.

Stiles joined me quickly, and I spotted Lydia talking to Scott. "What's she saying to him?" I inquired, gesturing to the two.

Stiles shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno."

The coach took a seat next to me, greeting me in the process, "Stilinski."

"Coach," I greeted back.

"Sindy," Jackson gave me a nod, taking a seat on the other side of coach.

"Hey, Jackson," I responded. I heard them talk about Jackson's shoulder, and frowned when the coach simply gave a nod of approval when Jackson said he was going to just keep playing if his shoulder started hurting. Yeah, Jackson was a jerk, but he shouldn't destroy his shoulder.

The game was just about to start when I felt a hand clasp around my shoulder. "Hey, kids," Dad greeted, his head popping between Stiles and me.

"Oh, hey," we greeted.

"So, think we're gonna see any action tonight?" Dad asked and I took a glance out at the field, seeing Scott get into his position.

"Action?" Stiles echoed. "... Maybe…" Our dad nodded before walking away, most likely to join Melissa, who was also here to cheer on Scott.

I nudged him roughly, causing my brother to turn to look at me. _'What? It's true,'_ he mouthed.

'_You don't need to _say_ it,'_ I mouthed back.

Once the kick off began, I watched as nobody passed the ball to Scott, and Jackson even purposely shoved him to the ground to get the ball and score a goal.

"What the…?" I mumbled.

"It's just Jackson in his typical Jackson-assholery," Stiles responded.

I heard some loud cheering behind us and turned back to see Lydia and Allison holding up a "WE LUV JACKSON" sign. I winced, exchanging a look with my brother.

"Brutal," we said together. We looked out onto the field again and I noticed Scott looking in the line of direction the girls were in.

"Oh, this is not gonna be good," Stiles commented. I let out an audible groan. _Why_ did werewolf transformation have to be triggered by _anger_?

Scott crouched over, getting ready. I saw the referee stop in front of him and ask if he was okay. Oh, God. He was _not_ okay. Not at all. Even the player behind him backed away.

"This isn't good…" Stiles mumbled out.

"Tell me something I don't know," I mumbled back. "Hopefully, if it escalates to that, Derek can take him out."

"Derek?" Stiles asked. "He's in jail."

I turned to look at Stiles. "Uh… no. It was determined that whoever attacked the girl was an animal, and Derek is kind of not an animal."

"Fully," Stiles piped.

"Shut up," I glowered. "But yeah, he was released from jail. I gave him a ride here. Don't ask me where he is, though. I have no idea."

The ball escaped from both of the players' nets and Scott lunged for it. I tensed just before he easily caught it and immediately headed towards the goal. I felt the muscles inside me coil tightly, watching him dodge every player that went after him. He launched the ball, making the score 4-5.

"YES!" I cheered, jumping to my feet.

"PASS THE BALL TO MCCALL!" I heard Finstock exclaim, with Stiles cheering right behind him. Stiles quickly sat down next to me and the players started off again.

This time, white got the ball, but Scott suddenly appeared in front of him. Scared out of his wits, the players threw the ball to Scott.

Finstock took a seat next to Stiles, leaning in towards us. "Did the _opposing_ team just _deliberately_ pass us the ball?"

Stiles gnawed on his glove nervously. "Yes, I believe so, Coach," he answered.

"Interesting," Finstock commented, just as Scott launched the ball. It actually _ripped_ through the opponent's net, going into the goal.

"Interesting indeed," I mumbled. I remembered that Scott was able to hear whatever I said, so I wondered if… "Derek…?" I asked quietly. "Can you hear me?"

My phone suddenly buzzed and I dug into my pocket, pulling out my phone. It was a text from an unknown number. I opened the text and read: _Yes, I can._

"Do I want to know how you got my number?" I inquired, arching my brow.

I watched as another text came in: _Not really._

"Was it legal?"

_No._

"Oh, then nevermind. Anyways, is… Scott alright?"

My reply came a few seconds later: _He's tapped into his wolf, but he's not fully transformed yet._

"-dy!" I heard. "SINDY!" Stiles shook me so furiously I almost fell off the bench. "LOOK!"

I snapped up from my phone, eyes immediately flying to Scott. He just scored the winning goal, making our total 6-5. "Oh my _God_!" I exclaimed, jumping up. "We won!"

Stiles's arms flew around me and I embraced him. We jumped around, doing our own little cheer-celebration by ourselves.

Then I noticed something. "Wai-wai-wait," I stopped, making Stiles abruptly do the same. "Where's Scott?" My eyes darted everywhere, trying to find the large number eleven.

"Where's Allison?" Stiles asked back in response.

My eyes widened and my light brown met Stiles's identical ones. "Oh shit," we chorused before darting off to the locker room.

We all but stumbled into the dark locker room, but then stopped when we witnessed something… that shouldn't be seen.

"I'm blind," I slapped my hands over my eyes. "Tell me when it's over." I did _not_ need to see my best friend and Allison making out.

Stiles nudged me when they broke apart. Allison smiled at us, beaming brightly. "Hi, Stiles, Sindy."

"Hey," we nodded as she walked past us. We went over to join Scott, who had the same goofy grin on his face.

"I kissed her," Scott declared. He was so cute I wanted to slap the smile off his face.

"We saw," Stiles and I said together.

"She kissed me."

"Saw that too."

Scott looked speechless for a second and Stiles and I exchanged looks. "Pretty good, huh?" Stiles commented.

Scott's grin only got wider and he stuttered, "I-I-I don't know how, but I controlled it. I can hold it back. Maybe I can do this."

"Yeah…" I agreed. "I guess we'll talk later then," I said, not wanting to destroy his mood.

Scott grabbed my wrist gently. "What is it?" It seemed he recognized the look on our faces.

"You tell him," I mumbled, grabbing Stiles. I made sure he was directly in front of me, shielding me from Scott. I didn't want him wolfing out on me… _especially_ since I gave him a ride to the game.

"The medical examiner looked at the other half of the body we found," Stiles said.

Scott quirked an eyebrow. "_And_?"

"Well," Stiles shrugged. "To keep it simple: medical examiner determines killer of the girl to be animal, not human. Derek's human, not animal. Derek not killer; Derek let out of jail. Oh, and Sindy gave him a ride to the game."

"Are you _kidding_ me?!" Scott angled his head to look at me. "Sindy, are you _serious_?!"

"Um… I kind of don't wanna add fuel to the fire, but did I forget to mention that the girl was Laura Hale?"

"_Hale_?!" the two boys exclaimed.

"Derek's sister…" I added weakly.

Stiles spun around and gripped my shoulders tightly. "Do you _have_ a _death wish_?! First you go _visit_ a guy - a _werewolf_, no less - that _wants_ to kill Scott! Then you _willingly_ get in a _car_ with him, _alone_! And now you're telling me he killed his own _**sister**_?! SINDY!"

I frowned, slapping his hands away. "He didn't kill me and we don't have proof he killed his sister, okay? Let off a little, Stiles."

"Why are you even defending him? You don't even know him," Scott glowered at me.

"You, too," I frowned. "Who knows, he might be a nice guy." Stiles and Scott scoffed and I shrugged. "Yeah, maybe not. Whatever. Can we just go grab something to eat? I'm hungry."

* * *

**A/N:** Drop a review! :)


	5. Pack Initiation

**A/N:** I wasn't planning on updating so soon, but... I don't think I would have any complaints. :P After all, the season finale to _Teen Wolf_ is tonight. :3 Thanks to **goddess of the nigth**, **She-WolfMoon**, **Lil Miss Sunshine14**, **cat-afterlife**, **Guest**, **Daenerys86**, and **ZizFox** for reviewing! A thing I'd like to address is this follows the canon, alright, because as I was watching _Teen Wolf_, I imagined an OC happening right beside it, and thus, Sindy was born. :3 Aw man, the feelz I get when I imagine Sindy with Stiles in Season 3B... :c

* * *

**MONDAY  
****JANUARY 24, 2011**

"Guys, guys, guys!" Scott urgently ran towards us. I closed the door to my car, looking at Scott strangely.

"Where's the fire?" I inquired, and Scott frowned at me.

"This is _serious_," Scott groaned, frustrated. He ran his hands through his hair, looking completely disarrayed.

Stiles placed his hand on Scott's shoulder. "You okay?"

"No," Scott mumbled pathetically. "I-I had a dream last night… it was- it was going so well. Allison and I were alone and we were making out…"

I frowned, but let him continue as we walked to the school. Scott began to tell us about how he got worked up, and all but attacked Allison during his make out session with her. He had transformed and then as a result…

"So you killed her," Stiles concluded, opening the door for us to walk through.

"I dunno," Scott shrugged. "I just woke up. I was sweating like crazy and I couldn't breathe. I've never had a dream where I woke up like that before."

"Really?" Stiles inquired. "I have. Usually ends a little bit different."

"Dude, that's gross," I frowned, giving my brother a light push. I did _not_ need to hear it from my brother.

"I'm a teenaged guy!" Stiles refuted, as if it explained everything. Actually… it explained quite a lot, yeah.

Scott gave a small glare to Stiles. "_A_) I meant I've never had a dream that felt that real, and _B_) never get me that much detail about you in bed again."

"Noted," Stiles said. Please, do the same for me, too.

"So… can I just say-" I started, but was interrupted by Scott.

"No, I know. You guys think it has something to do with me going out with Allison tomorrow… like I'm going to lose control and rip her throat out."

"No, of course not," Stiles and I said at once. Scott gave us a pointed look and we quickly changed our answer, "Yeah. That's totally it."

"Hey, come on, it's gonna be fine," Stiles tried to reassure Scott.

"If it's any help, I think you're handling this quite well," I piped.

"You know, it's not like there's a _Lycanthropy for Beginners _class you can take," Stiles agreed.

"Well, not a class, but maybe a teacher," Scott replied, hinting at something.

"Who, Derek?" Stiles asked. Scott nodded and my brother reached over me to slap our best friend on the head. "Are you forgetting about the part where we got him tossed in jail?"

"Yeah, I know, but… he didn't kill Sindy last Saturday," Scott said, looking down at me.

Stiles looked down at me and then replied, "Yeah, but that's _Sindy_! She's my _sister_. She's pure awesomeness. And hot. You can't deny my sister's hot."

"Can you _not_?" I frowned, looking up at my brother. It was one thing to be called attractive by someone else, but another when your _brother_ was the one saying it. I wasn't _that_ pathetic… I could get guys… right…?

Scott made a face like he agreed and shrugged. "In a totally platonic way, yeah, you're pretty attractive, Sindy."

"What I'm trying to say is how Derek acts around Sindy will be totally different from how he'll act around you. He could rip you to shreds!" Stiles reverted the topic back to Derek, thankfully.

"I know," Scott sighed. "But chasing her… dragging her… it all felt so real."

I frowned and furrowed my brows. "How real?" I asked.

"Like it actually happened," Scott responded.

The two boys each took a door and pushed it open, allowing me to slip through easily without any effort. The scene before me shocked me so much that I stumbled when I stopped, and if it weren't for Stiles grabbing me, I would've fallen over.

Oh my God.

There were three police cars surrounding a decimated school bus. The back door was dangling from one hinge, and there were blood splatters _everywhere_.

"I think it did," Stiles muttered.

Scott, completely overwhelmed, pivoted and rushed back into the school. Stiles and I brisk walked after him as our friend typed away on his phone.

"She's probably fine, Scott," I said, keeping pace with him easily. It was a good thing I was on the cross country team.

"She's not answering my texts!" Scott looked back at us worriedly. Stiles gave me an exasperated sigh and I mentally agreed. Since becoming a werewolf, Scott was mastering the art of being a drama queen. Maybe it came with being a werewolf. I wonder if Derek was a good drama queen.

I felt a nudge and snapped out of my thoughts. Stiles pointed at Scott. _Right_. Worried werewolf best friend. Scott frantically searched every face we passed, and once he couldn't handle it anymore, he slammed himself in front of a locker.

He let out a frustrated cry, punching the locker in front of him. The locker dented heavily, so much that it fell open, dangling only from a hinge, just like the bus door.

"Crap, that's Jackson's locker," I recognized. We had to get out of there before anyone saw us.

"We need to get out of here," Stiles concluded, just as Scott bumped into Allison. He grabbed my hand and we walked away, giving the couple their privacy and to avoid anyone that saw us in front of Jackson's locker.

"_Attention, students. This is your principal. I know you're all wondering about the incident that occurred last night to one of our buses. While the police work to determine what happened, classes _will_ proceed as scheduled. Thank you."_

"I wouldn't be surprised if there was a suicide bomber loose in this school and classes still continued," I grumbled. It seriously seemed like no matter what happened, classes would continue.

Stiles and I walked into our chemistry class, and I walked over to my seat on the other side of the table Stiles sat at. I gave me chemistry partner, a shy boy named Isaac, a smile before Scott walked in, a goofy grin on his face.

The bell rang and Mr. Harris began his lesson.

Part way through, Scott suddenly turned around and looked at us. "Maybe it was my blood on the door."

"Could've been animal blood," Stiles shrugged.

"Maybe you caught a rabbit or something," I piped in. I did see a few rabbits the other day before getting into my car. It was wishful thinking, though, considering the amount of blood, but I kept it to myself.

"And did what?" Scott looked at me, confused.

"At it," Stiles supplied.

"Raw?" Scott looked appalled.

"_No_," I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I motioned for Stiles to let out whatever sarcastic comment he had.

"You stopped to bake it in a little werewolf oven. I don't know! You're the one who can't remember anything," Stiles added.

"Mr. Stilinski," Mr. Harris suddenly called out. "If that's your idea of a hushed whisper, you might want to pull the headphones out every once in a while. I think you and Mr. McCall would benefit from a little distance, yes?"

"B-but, my sister…" Stiles tried to argue. Stiles and I _always_ sat within a seat of each other. Even with seating charts, we were always within a seat near each other. To separate us was _blasphemy_.

Mr. Harris wouldn't have it, though, and he pointed at two separate seats. "Just because you two are twins doesn't mean you two always have to be together. Let me know if the separation anxiety gets to be too much." Stiles let out a sarcastic laugh, gathering his books.

I frowned, propping my elbow onto the desk. I rested my chin on my palm, frowning down at the chemistry book.

"Y-you and your brother are really close, huh?" Isaac's quiet voice asked me.

I angled my head to look at Isaac. I brushed some of my locks out of my face to get a good look at him. Even though we were partners, we hardly ever talked, because I was always talking to Stiles and Scott.

I knew Isaac was also on the lacrosse team, but didn't play often. I've never had a good look at him until just now. He was tall, definitely six feet or a bit more than that. He had short, curly light brown hair and deep, ocean-blue eyes. He was actually quite handsome.

"Super close," I nodded. "Our dad can work pretty late nights, so we've really got only each other most of the time."

"That seems… nice," Isaac commented. "I wish I had a sibling."

I leaned in close to him. "Between you and me, though, he's a _bit_ overwhelming sometimes. It's alright, though. I still love him." Then I added as an afterthought, "Don't tell him I said that. That's our secret." I winked and placed my index finger in front of my lips.

That made Isaac crack a small smile and I returned it, seeing it grace his handsome features. I concluded that this was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.

"Hey, I think they found something!" the girl that was sitting next to Scott, Harley, exclaimed.

I quickly shot up from my seat, curiosity filling my every pore. I ran over to the window, hoping to get a good look.

The paramedics were wheeling away someone… someone definitely human.

"That's not a rabbit," Scott whispered to Stiles and I, looking completely blanched.

All of a sudden, the person they were wheeling jumped up, making me jump in shock. Stiles grabbed me and pulled me to his chest instinctively. "O-okay…" Stiles said nervously. He backed up so we could talk to Scott. "This is good, this is good. He got up."

"Th-that means he's not dead," I muttered, extracting myself from Stiles's chest. "Dead guys can't do that…"

"Guys…" Scott said helplessly, "I did that."

"I need to go running again soon," I sighed out, walking to my seat. I collapsed back into my chair, throwing myself over my desk. "This is just too much stress for me," I mumbled to myself.

At lunchtime, even though I was planning on finding Isaac, the conversation we were having was too important to actually leave. "Not all dreams are memories," I pointed out as we headed to an empty table.

"Then it wasn't a dream," Scott replied. "Something happened last night, and I can't remember what." He took a seat across from Stiles, and I sat next to my brother's left.

"What makes you so sure that Derek even has all the answers?" Stiles inquired.

"Because during the full moon, he wasn't changed. He was in total control while I was running around in the middle of the night attacking some totally innocent guy," Scott explained.

"Why do you think he does?" Stiles asked, leaning forward.

"He was born a werewolf," I found myself answering. "He has better control over it because he's lived with it his whole life."

Stiles gave me an incredulous look. "You didn't think to share that… when did you find out?"

"Last Saturday."

"You didn't think to share that last Saturday?" Stiles asked. I just shrugged in response. Stiles scoffed. "_Women_." I smacked him in the head for that.

"I can't go out with Allison," Scott declared. "I have to cancel."

"No," Stiles refuted. "You're not cancelling, okay? You can't just cancel your entire life. We'll figure it out."

"Figure what out?" Lydia asked, placing her lunch tray on the table as she sat down on Scott's left. Stiles immediately tensed, straightening his back and all.

"Just some homework," I lied easily.

"Yeah," Stiles nodded in agreement. He leaned over the table and so did I. "Why's she sitting with us?" he asked so quietly it was almost inaudible.

Hayley suddenly took a seat on my other side and Greenberg sat down at the head of the table. Danny took the empty seat next to Stiles and Allison sat down on Scott's other side.

"What the hell…?" I mumbled, confused.

People did _not_ sit with Stiles, Scott, and me. We were pretty much the outcasts of the school, despite the fact that I had some popularity because of my being in the varsity cross country team in freshmen year. They just didn't want to associate with asthmatic Scott McCall and ADHD Stiles Stilinski.

"Get up," Jackson suddenly said, joining our table.

"How come you never ask Danny to get up?" Greenberg protested.

"Because I don't stare at his girlfriend's coin slot," Danny replied simply. I let out a laugh and the guy tossed me a grin. Greenberg got up, allowing Jackson to take a seat at the head of the table. "So I hear they're saying it's some type of animal attack. Probably a cougar?"

"I heard mountain lion," Jackson interjected.

"A cougar _is_ a mountain lion," I explained the same time Lydia did.

However, while I was sure, Lydia added, "Isn't it?" in a confused tone.

"Who cares?" Jackson retorted. "The guy was probably some homeless tweaker who's gonna die anyway."

Stiles nudged me first before saying, "Actually, I just found out who it is. Check it out." He leaned forward, placing the phone in the center for us to watch.

"_The Sheriff's department won't speculate on details of the incident, but confirmed the victim, Garrison Meyers, did survive the attack. Meyers was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition."_

"I know this guy!" Scott recognized.

"You do?" Allison inquired.

"Yeah," Scott nodded. "When I used to take the bus back when I lived with my dad. He was the driver." Scott looked at Stiles and me worriedly. I returned the look with a frown.

"Can we talk about something slightly more fun, please?" Lydia commented, uninterested. "Like, oh, where are we going tomorrow night?" She looked at Allison, "You said you and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night, right?"

I exchanged an incredulous look with Stiles as Allison sputtered out an excuse. So much for date night.

"Well, I am not sitting home again watching lacrosse videos, so if the four of us are hanging out, we are doing something fun," Lydia said. She looked at me and asked, "Are you and Stiles coming, too?"

"I'm actually probably going to hit the gym tomorrow," I replied. "I haven't run in quite a while, and I better get into shape."

"Season doesn't start for another seven months," Danny pointed out.

I threw him a smile. "And _that_, Danny, is the reason why you can't beat me in a race." In response to that, the lacrosse goalie threw me a light glare that soon dissipated to a smile.

"W-wait," Scott interrupted. "Hanging out? Like, the four of us? Do you wanna hang out? Like, us and them?" He looked at Allison, confused.

"Yeah," Allison replied. "I guess. Sounds fun."

_Aaannnddd_ back to wanting to slap myself in the face.

"You know what else sounds fun?" Jackson asked. He picked up his fork. "Stabbing myself in the face with this fork." _Yeesh_, I can feel the love.

Stiles leaned in to whisper, "I'll gladly do it to his face." I snorted in amusement.

"How about bowling?" Lydia suggested. "You love bowling." She looked at her boyfriend.

"Yeah, with _actual_ competition," Jackson retorted.

Allison took that as a challenge. "How do you know we're not actual competition? You can bowl, right?"

Scott replied, "Sort of."

Jackson taunted, "Is it sort of, or yes?"

"Yes," Scott said firmly. "In fact, I'm a great bowler."

I banged my head on the table, making everyone look at me. "Sorry," I apologized. "Just remembered I forgot to turn in a book to the library." I stood up quickly. I could not _handle_ this stupidity any longer.

"I'm coming with you," Stiles said, standing up as well.

"Me too!" Scott piped in. "I'll catch you later," he directed to Allison.

The three of us left the cafeteria, and as soon as the doors were closed, Stiles attacked Scott. "You're a _terrible_ bowler!"

"I know!" Scott responded. "I'm such an idiot!"

"You said it, not me," I shrugged.

"_God_, it was like watching a car wreck. I mean, first it turned into the whole group date thing. And then out of nowhere comes that phrase."

"'Hang out'," Scott scoffed.

"You don't hang out with hot girls, okay?" Stiles retorted. "Unless it's you, Sindy," he directed to me. Don't worry, I wasn't hurt. "It's like death," he continued. "Once it's hanging out, you might as well be her gay best friend. You and Danny can start hanging out."

"How is this happening? I either killed a guy or I didn't," Scott exclaimed.

"I don't think Danny likes me very much… which is weird, 'cause he likes Sindy just fine."

"I ask Allison on a date, and now we're hanging out."

"Am I not attractive to gay guys?"

"I make first line, and the team captain wants to destroy me, and now-" Scott checked his watch. "Now I'm gonna be late for work.

"Wait, Scott!" Stiles called. "You didn't - am I attractive to gay guys?!"

Ladies and gentlemen, a typical day with my brother and best friend.

Stiles looked down at me. He opened his mouth but I held up a hand. "I am not answering your question," I interrupted before walking away. I needed to get to work, too.

"I wasn't gonna ask you anyway!" Stiles retorted, but we all know it was a lie. He was so gonna ask me.

I was at the hospital within half an hour. Melissa handed me a set of files. "There isn't much work to be done today. Just files these and you're actually done for today."

"You serious?" I asked.

Melissa nodded. "You'll still be paid the amount of hours rounded up, too. I'm assuming you'll wanna get in and get out, yeah?"

I beamed brightly at Melissa, taking the files. I shelved the files, which actually took a lot longer than I expected. I finished in about two and a half hours. Holy crap. Let me just say, before these things are files, _everything_ is a mess.

I walked out of the filing room, almost bumping into Scott. "Whoa!" I exclaimed, and Scott quickly caught me.

"Sindy!" Scott exclaimed. "Sorry!" Then he looked thoughtful and asked, "... Are you busy?"

I blinked. "That depends… why?"

"I need you to give me a ride to Derek's," Scott told me.

I arched a brow, but nodded, nonetheless. "Let me just sign out, then we can go." I walked behind the desk, getting the nurse there to sign the paper that I was leaving and walked out with Scott. "You wanna head to your place to drop off your bike first?"

Scott nodded, taking off the wheels of his bike. He threw the wheels in my trunk, making sure they fit before throwing in the rest of the bike in the trunk. It was a tight fit, but it worked out, after moving the things I had in my trunk to the back seat.

On the way to Derek's, we passed by a patrol car, which thankfully didn't stop us. I pulled to a stop in front of the burnt Hale house and Scott and I left the car.

Scott looked up at the house and said, "I know you can hear me. I need your help."

"Can't we just walk to the front of the house?" I asked, walking forward. Just as we got onto the porch, the front door opened.

Derek stepped out of the house, his face mostly clean-shaven, with a light five o'clock shadow. I felt saddened at that, but he still looked handsome. Derek looked at me with an unreadable expression before turning to Scott with an annoyed one.

"Okay. I know I was part of you getting arrested and that we basically announced you being here to the hunters. I also don't know what happened to your sister," Scott started. I wanted to slap my face. Did he _really_ have to mention Laura? "But I think I did something last night. I had a dream about… someone, but someone else got hurt. And it turns out that part of the dream might have actually happened."

"You think you attacked the driver?" Derek spoke up for the first time. After not hearing his voice for a while, my heart involuntary skipped a beat. Both werewolves turned to me and I flushed. _Damn sensitive hearing_.

Scott turned back to Derek. "Did you see what I did last night?"

"No," Derek replied.

"Can you at least tell me the truth? Am I gonna hurt someone?"

"Yes."

"Could I kill someone?"

"Yes."

"_Am_ I gonna kill someone?"

"Probably."

I couldn't help it. I snorted, unable to hold my laughter. The two turned to me again and I looked at them sheepishly. "Sorry. It's just… Derek's just so blunt." Derek gave me a smirk and I chuckled a little bit more before clearing my throat.

"Look, I can show you how to remember. I can show you how to control the shift, even on a full moon. But it's not gonna come for free," Derek named his price.

"What do you want?" Scott asked wearily.

"You'll find out," Derek revealed cryptically. "But for now, I'm gonna give you what you want. Go back to the bus. Go inside. See it, feel it. Let your senses - your sight, smell, touch - let them remember for you."

"That's it?" Scott asked incredulously. "Just-just go back?"

"Do you want to know what happened?" Derek retorted.

"I just want to know if I hurt him," Scott said, but I knew it wasn't that.

"No, you don't," Derek wasn't fooled either. "You want to know if you'll hurt her."

Scott let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair. "That's really it?"

"That's really it," Derek confirmed, nodding. Scott gave a reluctant nod before walking off, heading back to my car. Derek spared a glance at me and said, "If you know what's good for you, you should stop butting in."

"He's my best friend," I shrugged. "I would die for him."

Derek's eyes flashed an electric blue before fading to his usual pale green. "And that's what you'll be doing if you keep this up," he glowered.

I, however, wasn't deterred and began to walk away, heading back into my car. I closed the door and took a glance up. Derek was still standing on his porch, looking at me through my windshield.

"Call Stiles," I told him. "We'll meet him at the school." I drove to the school, and as I drove, the sun set behind me. By the time I arrived at the school, it the sun was already fully set and the skies were black.

Stiles pulled up next to me and Scott and I climbed out of my car. Instead of walking away with Scott and Stiles though, I just stood against my car door, leaning against it.

"Hey, no, just me," Scott protested. "Someone needs to keep watch."

"That's what Sindy's for," Stiles retorted.

"But there are two cars," Scott replied.

"Okay," Stiles sighed, getting off the fence. "Why's it starting to feel like you're Batman and I'm Robin? I don't want to be Robin all the time."

"Robin's my favorite, though," I protested. Dick Grayson was the best. "And if you're Robin, then that means I should be Batgirl."

"Point beside, I don't want to be Robin all the time!" Stiles said.

Scott looked at us disbelievingly. "Nobody's Batman and Robin and Batgirl any of the time."

That just made Stiles sad. "Not even some of the time?"

"Just. Stay. _Here_," Scott ordered.

"Oh _my __**God**_!" Stiles huffed. He gave in, walking back to where I stood

I watched Scott climb the fence, walking over to the bus that was attacked. It started to get chilly, so I simply just climbed into my car. A few seconds later, my phone rang and I picked up, putting it on speaker.

"Yeah?"

"_This is so boring,"_ Stiles complained. I turned my head to look at him. He was back in his jeep, leaning over the steering wheel with his phone dangling in his hand.

"Well, keeping watch isn't exactly scaling walls and climbing fences, so… yeah," I replied. "It's pretty boring." Something then caught my eye and I said. "Uh oh."

"_What is it?"_

"Patrol," I responded before pressing down on my horn. I honked for Scott, and Stiles did the same. A few seconds later, Scott came running out of the bus. I watched with amazement as he jumped off a car, doing a backflip over the fence. Oh, man, being a werewolf's cool… once you got past the whole out-of-control thing.

Scott made a dash towards Stiles's jeep, so I backed out quickly, leading the way out.

"_GO, GO!"_ I heard Scott yell over the phone.

"_Did it work? Did you remember?"_ Stiles asked.

"_Yeah,"_ Scott panted._ "Can you hear me, Sindy?"_

"Loud and clear, Scotty," I replied.

"_So I was there last night,"_ our best friend informed us. _"And the blood… a lot of it was mine."_

"So… did you attack him?" I inquired, making a left into the street.

"_No. I saw glowing eyes in the bus, but they weren't mine. It was Derek."_

"Hey, now, don't jump to conclusions," I protested, but they were ignored as Stiles brought up the bus driver.

"_I think I was actually trying to protect him,"_ Scott admitted.

"_Wait, why would Derek help you remember that he attacked the driver?"_

"That's what I don't get," I piped in. "If you guys are still listening to me and whatnot."

"_We still are. You're stupid for thinking Derek's not behind it,"_ Stiles replied. I frowned but shrugged, brushing it off. Typical Stiles. _"It's got to be a pack thing."_

"_What do you mean?"_ Scott was confused.

"_Like an initiation. You do the kill together,"_ Stiles explained.

"_Because ripping someone's throat out is a real bonding experience?"_ Scott asked. I could hear the roll of his eyes.

"_Yeah, but you didn't do it, which means you're not a killer. It also means that-"_

"_I can go out with Allison,"_ Scott sighed dreamily.

I slapped my face. No one was around to judge me. "I think Stiles meant to say that you weren't gonna kill us, Scott."

"_Oh, yeah… that too."_

Scott's Hormones: 500,000  
Scott's Common Sense: 0

* * *

**A/N:** Drop a review in the box below! :o Maybe you'll have another fast update? ;)


	6. Hale History

**A/N:** Hah. Fun Fact: I had to write a sonnet for AP Lit, and I chose to write a Sinrek sonnet, and I just presented it today. :D The reason why I chose to write Sinrek, was because of a moment they had in this very chapter. :) I'll have it at the bottom if you want to read it. It's lame. :P

Special thanks to **goddess of the nigth, Haliston, PsychoticSmartypants, Arlaeflores, wolviegurl, She-WolfMoon, Thelatestbuzz, Guest, flyhighturtle, and Daenerys86** for reviewing! I'm so glad so many people also liked the way I ended the last chapter. xD Kudos to Daenerys86 for getting that tiny joke I attempted to make. :)

HAPPY MOONDAY, GUYS. I'm gonna TRY to do my best to post every Monday, but... egh. I'm horrible at updates. I'll put in the effort, though! :)

* * *

**TUESDAY  
****JANUARY 25, 2011**

"You got your pepper spray, right?" Stiles asked, leaning against a nearby wall.

I threw Stiles a pointed look. "Yes, Stiles," I rolled my eyes. "I'm just running to the hospital."

"And that's like, ten miles away," Stiles retorted. "I don't even know how you forgot your phone there. What kind of teenager forgets her phone?"

"Shut up," I frowned, making sure my shoelaces were tightened properly. I stood up and began to stretch properly. "Just call me if you need anything. I'll probably have my phone in about an hour."

I left the house, starting my trek to the hospital. I started my running playlist, and "Remember the Name" by Fort Minor filled my ears. My feet moved to the rhythm of the music, finding an easy pace to move at.

I could feel the sweat building as I ran, and feeling thirsty, I spotted a gas station. From the looks of it, I was probably three miles away from the hospital, but still had a bit to go. I noticed it was now dark, and trekked into the station.

The cashier didn't even look up from his magazine as I went to the back, searching for a bottle of water. My breath had already settled, and now I could feel the sweat just making my clothes stick to my skin. _Ugh_.

I spotted a black Camaro pull up to the empty station, and a familiar werewolf climb out of the car. I was about to call him out as he placed the nozzle into his tank, but two SUVs pulling up on either ends of Derek's car made me stop.

Allison's dad climbed out of the red one while two other guys got out of the white one. I purchased my water bottle and stood outside, hoping to stay out of sight, but be able to hear what was going on.

I stayed a far distance away, not trusting myself to get any closer without giving myself away. I could hear Allison's dad say something, but I was too far away to hear. _Dammit_.

I could see Allison's dad clean Derek's windshield. I strained my ears to hear. It was quiet, so if I _really_ focused, I could hear.

"-family," Allison's dad said. "But you don't have much of that these days, do you?"

I knew Derek's family had perished in the Hale House Fire almost a decade ago, and from the way he acted, it was a sore topic for him. I saw Derek's jaws were clenched and my gaze trailed down to see his hands were fisted at his sides.

Derek took a deep breath though, and I saw the tension roll of his body. "There we go," Allison's dad said, putting away the windshield cleaner. "You can actually look through your windshield now. See how that makes everything so much clearer?"

He began to walk away, but then Derek provoked him, "You forgot to check the oil."

That comment just made me want to slap him. Werewolf or not, he deserved it. _Why_ would he purposely provoke a _Hunter_?!

"Check the man's oil," Allison's dad spoke.

A hunter walked forward, before hitting the butt of his gun through the window of the driver's side of Derek's car. "Looks good to me," he reported.

"Drive safely," Allison's dad bade.

I quickly hid behind a trashcan before he could see me. When the two cars were gone, I leapt up. "What the hell were you thinking?!" I exclaimed, storming over to Derek. He didn't even look surprised that I was there. "'_You forgot to check the oil,'_" I mocked. "Do you _want_ to get killed?!"

Derek looked down at me, exasperated. "What the hell are you even doing here?" His eyes scanned down my body, up to my face, down my body again, before landing on my face.

"I was running to the hospital. I stopped here to get a drink," I explained.

"Season doesn't start for another half year," Derek told me bluntly.

"I'm well aware of that," I replied. "It doesn't hurt to get into shape right now, though. Anyway, do you _have_ a death wish?"

Derek glowered at me. "It's none of your business." He walked to the driver's door and opened it. He wiped away the broken shards of glass, throwing them onto the floor.

He then climbed into his car and started the engine. I waited for him to peel out of the gas station, but was surprised when the passenger window rolled down. I leaned down, looking into the car. Derek's annoyed gaze looked back at me. "Well, are you getting in or not?"

"You're giving me a ride?"

He threw me a look, saying my question was a stupid question without words. … Offering a ride…. yeah. I climbed into the car, deciding that seven miles was enough for today. I was probably going to feel it a little bit tomorrow.

"Do you know what happened to Garrison Meyers?" I asked curiously. "A werewolf attacked him, right?"

I saw Derek's hands clench the steering wheel tightly before releasing his tight grip. "Yeah. The Alpha did it."

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. "The Alpha? There's another werewolf?"

"Not just any werewolf," Derek replied simply. "An alpha. The strongest of werewolves. Werewolves are divided into three categories: alpha, beta, and omega."

"The first, second, and the last letters," I recognized the Greek terms.

Derek nodded. "It's what it means. Alphas are at the top, betas are right behind, and omegas lag behind. Most werewolves are betas, like Scott and I. Omegas are lone werewolves with no packs, or the outcasts of a pack. Alphas are the leaders."

"And that alpha is the one who attacked Mr. Meyers…" I mumbled. Then I realized something, "It's also the one who attacked your sister."

Derek nodded stiffly. "My sister and I lived in New York. We moved there shortly after the fire. It was just her and I. One day, she left to go investigate something. She called everyday, so when she didn't call for a few weeks, I knew something was wrong. I came back searching for her, only to find one half of her, and the other half with the police."

Before I could reply, Derek came to a stop. I looked out the window and realized we were at the hospital. I frowned. I still had so many questions. I got out of the car, but was surprised to see Derek also doing the same thing.

"What room is Meyers in?" Derek asked me.

"One-thirty-seven," I replied easily. "His room is strictly off-limits though." Derek gave me a pointed look. "You're still going to go in there, aren't you?"

He gave me a _'What do you think?'_ look.

"Should I keep watch?"

"Do what you want," Derek replied before walking in to the hospital by himself.

I jogged after him, but as soon as I entered the hospital, I headed to the front desk. The nurse behind there smiled kindly and simply handed my phone. I gave her a quick thanks before jogging down the hall to where Meyers was being held.

Derek had left the door open and I frowned, but entered, closing the door behind me.

"Open your eyes," I heard Derek order. For a few seconds, there was no sound except for the steady beeping of Meyers's heart monitor. "Open your eyes," Derek ordered again, this time slightly more impatient.

To my astonishment, Meyers's eyes opened. The older man simply stared at the ceiling though, until Derek gave his next command, "Look at me." Slowly, Meyers angled his neck so he could look at the werewolf. "What do you remember?"

I saw the recognition flash in Meyers's eyes before he rasped out, "Hale."

Confusion spread over Derek's face. "How do you know my name?"

Instead of replying, Meyers just swallowed deeply before saying, "I'm sorry." What was he apologizing for?

Derek was equally confused, and more disturbed, and he persisted, "How do you know me?"

"I'm sorry," Meyers repeated in a faint whisper. He leaned back, staring up at the ceiling blankly.

I heard the heart monitor begin to slow down. "Derek," I said softly, stepping forward. "I-I don't think he can answer any of your questions."

Derek whirled around to me, and I could see he was still disturbed. He stormed out of the room, and I followed him, closing the door behind me. If I had stayed another second, I would've heard Meyers's heart monitor go flatline.

"Derek!" I exclaimed, jogging after the briskly walking man. "Derek, wait up!"

He, of course, didn't. He climbed into his car, but I was glad he didn't take off. I climbed into the passenger seat just in time to hear him angrily hit his steering wheel. I reached forward, and rested my hand on his shoulder. He tensed, but soon allowed him to relax.

"My sister was the only family I had left," Derek said quietly. "Besides my uncle, who's in a complete catatonic state."

I leaned over the console, reaching to wrap my arms around him. For a while, he didn't do anything, and I just let him be. I could feel his body heat radiating from him and I rested my head on his shoulder.

I didn't know how Derek was completely, but I understood the feeling of just needing someone. To me, when I was down, all someone had to do was just stay there with me, no matter how long, to reassure me. I didn't need words, because I believed they could show everything they needed through their actions.

It wasn't until Derek shifted slightly in his seat, did I realize we had sat there for a good ten minutes. I could feel Derek's and my heavy breathing, and I drew myself closer to him. He leaned down, and my eyelids got heavy as the distance between us got shorter and shorter.

A ringing snapped my out of my daze, though, and I jumped at attention. I scrambled away from the center console and Derek looked equally shocked, backing away from me, albeit a lot more calmer than I.

I vaguely heard the car engine start before I gripped my phone, looking down at who was calling: _Stiles Stilinski_.

"Hello?" I squeaked out. I cleared my throat. "Hello?" I repeated.

"_What the hell, are you _that_ out of shape?"_ Stiles asked instead. _"Your breath is all shaky."_

"_No_!" I huffed. "What is it, Stiles? I'm still alive, if that's what you need to know."

"_Actually, I was calling to tell you that Dad just got called to the hospital. Garrison Meyers just succumbed to his wounds,"_ Stiles informed me.

I almost dropped my phone in shock. "Wh-what?"

"_Yeah,"_ Stiles replied, and I knew him so well that I knew he was nodding. _"I'm on my way to Scott's to tell him. You need a ride?"_

"I'm good," I responded. "You can go ahead and tell Scott yourself. I'll be home a bit later."

"_Suit yourself, then,"_ Stiles said. _"If you change your mind, just call me. Bye, Sindy."_

"Bye, Stiles," I returned before hanging up. I turned to Derek, who was now focused on the road. "Do you… think you can give me a ride home?"

"Sure, but after I head home first," Derek replied. "There's something I want to show you."

Involuntarily, my heart sped up at his words. He had something he _wanted_ to share with me. Not _needed_, but on his own free will. A smirk appeared on Derek's face that didn't escape my notice and I blushed.

He drove down the dark road of the woods, before pulling to a stop at the old burned Hale House. I got out of the car, and closed the door behind me. Derek walked to the front of the house, and I followed after him.

The door creaked open as he pushed it open, allowing him to step inside. The moonlight in the night sky filled the house, sustaining it with a minimal, but enough, amount of light.

It was the first time I had actually stepped into the house, and I realized just how run down this place really was.

"How well do you know the Argents?" Derek asked suddenly.

I snapped at attention and replied, "Not really well… Allison's a nice girl, though…"

Derek scoffed. "_Nice_?" he spat the word. "That word doesn't go hand-in-hand with an Argent. They're supposed to follow a code, but obviously, they didn't." He gestured around the remains. He walked up the stairs and I followed him.

"Wh-what do you mean?" I inquired curiously. I didn't want to push too much, and hoped Derek wasn't going to kill me. I could only trust him from now on.

"Six years ago, I fell in love with a woman," Derek admitted to me quietly. The news bothered me, but when he spoke again, I felt a relief. "Or at least, I _thought_ I was in love. It was like a whirlwind. She appeared out of nowhere. She was beautiful, sexy, and older. Now that I thought about it, what did a twenty-two-year-old woman want with a sixteen-year-old _boy_?

"It turns out, she was just using me. She used to me to get information on my family… to start a fire that would kill everyone… My sister and I were at school that day, so we were unscathed. Everyone but one person died, but that one person, my uncle, Peter, is now in a comatose state. He's no longer a werewolf, and barely even a human."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked quietly.

Derek stopped walking, before turning around to look at me. The moonlight shone through a crack in one of the windows, covering half his face in a white light. He took a few, slow steps towards me.

His right hand went up to cup my face. The pad of his thumb stroked my cheek softly. I could feel the semi-rough pad of his finger against my smooth cheek, and leaned into it. I opened my eyes, and his pale green ones stared down at me.

"I told myself I would never let anyone in again…" Derek said to me quietly. "Only my sister. If I trusted someone else, it could end in another tragedy…"

I kept quiet, waiting for him to elaborate.

"But you're slowly breaking down these walls I've built up, and it pisses me off. You're nothing but a little, sixteen-year-old girl. And… I want to know… just _why_ I feel like I can trust you…"

"Because you can…" I replied almost breathlessly. My heart beat was accelerating by the minute, causing it was getting harder to breathe.

Derek suddenly pulled away, leaving me confused. He shuffled me behind him, and a few seconds later, I heard the front door slam open.

"_Derek_!" came Scott's angry voice. "I know you're here! I know what you did!"

An annoyed look flashed across Derek's face. "I didn't do anything," Derek replied, his voice echoing throughout the room. _Whoa_. That was cool.

I could hear Scott's footsteps heading up the stairs. "You _killed_ him!" he blamed.

"He _died_," Derek corrected.

The stairs creaked as Scott continued to walk up. "Like your sister died?"

Derek scowled. "My sister was missing. I came here looking for her."

"You found her," Scott replied.

"I found her in pieces!" Derek snapped. I saw his eyes flash an electric blue before reverting back to his usual green. "Being used as bait to catch me!"

"I think you killed them both," Scott accused, and I just wanted to slap some sense into him. Best friend or not, he was being ridiculous. "I'm gonna tell everyone, starting with the sheriff." He got to the top of the staircase, looking to the left.

Derek stepped forward, grabbing Scott roughly. He all but launched him down the stairs, and if I didn't know that wouldn't hurt my best friend much, I would've yelled at Derek, werewolf or not.

Scott tumbled down the staircase and Derek launched himself down to the first floor. I got out from where I was, and ran to the top of the staircase, just in time to see a fully transformed Scott throw Derek through the wall.

"Oh, my God, Scott!" I cried out in shock. I ran down the stairs, pushing Scott aside. I stepped through the hole in the wall and saw Derek brushing the dirt off his leather jacket. I paused. Derek gave me a pointed look. "Werewolf. Right…" I noted.

I took a step to the side. "That was cute," Derek commented casually, taking off his leather jacket. He tossed it in my direction and ordered me, "You stay out of the way." I nodded dully and watched as he moved his neck a couple of times, and I could _hear_ his bones rearranging themselves.

Derek let out a low growl, and for the first time, I saw him transformed. He let out another growl, his eyes flashing a bright blue.

Scott angrily stepped through the hole, and the two stared down at each other, before Scott threw himself at Derek.

Derek, however, easily grabbed Scott, and threw him against the wall, pinning him there a couple of times before throwing Scott aside. Scott rolled over the pool table before stumbling to the ground, but he quickly got back up.

Scott threw a punch at Derek, but it didn't even faze him and the older werewolf threw a punch right back at him, knocking the younger one to the ground.

Scott used the pool table to support himself, and glared at Derek. Derek let out another growl, before running forward. He pushed himself off the pool table with his hands, and kicked Scott right in the chest, causing my best friend to fly back.

_Impressive_.

Derek went in for another kick, but Scott moved out of the way, so Derek ended up doing a backflip against the wall. Scott hit Derek with an oar, causing the latter to fall to the ground. Scott went in for another hit, but Derek rolled out of the way, getting up quickly and knocking Scott off his feet.

I winced when I watched Derek grab Scott by the neck, pulling him up before slamming him to the ground multiple times. While Scott was still down, Derek gave him a kick, causing him to fly over a crate. Scott was quick to recover and went to launch himself at Derek again, but Derek cut him down with his claws.

Scott let out pained pants, and they both reverted back to their human forms. I went over to Scott, and went to look at his injury. It was bleeding, but not too badly.

"I didn't kill him," Derek said. "Neither of us did. It's not your fault, and it's not mine."

"_This_?!" Scott roared angrily. I stumbled back in shock when Scott almost pushed me away. Thankfully, there was a couch to catch me. "This is all your fault! You ruined my life!"

Derek's eyes flew to me and after seeing I was okay, he turned his attention back to Scott. "No, I _didn't_."

"You're the one who bit me," Scott accused.

"No, I'm not," Derek replied firmly.

Scott blinked in confusion. "_What_?!"

"I'm not the one that bit you," Derek clarified.

Scott touched his wounds and he took heavy breaths, stumbling down onto the couch next to me. "There's another," he realized.

"It's called an Alpha," Derek supplied. "It's the most dangerous of our kind. You and I, we're betas. This thing is more powerful, more animal than either of us. My sister came here looking for him. Now I'm trying to find him, but I don't think I can do it without you."

"Why me?" Scott asked.

"Because he's the one that bit you," Derek replied. "You're part of his pack. It's you, Scott. You're the one he wants."

Scott was silent for a few moments, before looking up. "He's after me," Scott said. "Bu-but why?"

"I don't know," Derek said simply. He looked up at the sky and declared, "It's late. Go home. Sleep it off."

Scott nodded dully before turning to me. It was only then did he fully register that I was here. "Sindy… what are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously.

"I forgot my phone at the hospital earlier today," I explained. "So I decided to run there. Ran into Derek on the way to the hospital, Derek gave me a ride, and now I'm here." I held up my phone defensively. "Surely Stiles told you."

"He said you ran to the hospital," Scott told me. "But he didn't tell me you ran into Derek."

"That's because I didn't tell him," I shrugged.

"Sindy!" Scott turned to me, huffing.

"Don't you get angry at me!" I snapped at him. "I still haven't even mentioned how you almost pushed me to the ground in your damn werewolf-rage!"

"I- I did?" Scott stuttered.

"Yes," I huffed. "But it's alright. No harm, no foul."

"It's not," Derek refuted quickly. Both Scott and I snapped to him, but Derek kept his eyes focused on Scott. "You need to learn to control your anger. You're lucky this time you didn't snap at Sindy and kill her. If you had any thought of turning to her, I would've taken you down in a second. If you don't learn to control your wolf, you'll end up killing Sindy, her idiotic brother of hers, and everyone else you care about."

"H-how do I control it?" Scott asked quietly.

"You leave that to me," Derek replied. "Right now, go home, Scott." Scott nodded, gave me a hug, and left after giving Derek one last warning look.

I looked at Derek's sweaty t-shirt and commented, "You should probably change." Derek gave me a pointed look but walked out of the room, nonetheless. I followed him up the stairs, waiting for him to actually get his jacket, which I was still holding.

On the way up, my eyes widened as Derek suddenly pulled off his shirt. I swallowed thickly, seeing his strong, smooth-looking back. In between his shoulder blades sat a tattoo, a spiral triskele.

His back was glistening with sweat, which was further emphasized with the moonlight outside. "Wh-" I started, but it came out as a squeak. I heard Derek's low chuckle and embarrassed, I cleared my throat. "What does your tattoo mean…?"

"Are you aware of a triple spiral?" Derek asked instead.

"Uh huh," I acknowledged. "It means different things for different people, which is why I'm asking."

"To me, it signifies Alpha, Beta, and Omega," Derek informed me, turning down the hallway. "It shows that we can all rise and we can all fall. A Beta can rise to be an Alpha, or fall to an Omega. An Alpha can fall to a Beta or an Omega. An Omega can rise to a Beta, or even an Alpha."

"I-I see…" I choked out, now distracted by a lone drop of sweat. It slid down from the back of his neck, between his shoulder blades, and fading into the edge of his pants.

"You do realize I can feel what you're feeling, right?" Derek inquired, a tone of amusement in his voice.

Blood rushed all over my body, and I couldn't think clearly. What the hell… this never happened to me… Derek entered a room that was rather clean compared to the house. Before I could even register what was happening, he had both his arms on either side of my head, and he was leaning down over me.

My breath got caught again and my lips felt extremely dry. I licked my lips to keep them moist, and Derek's eyes darted down before going back to my eyes.

"Wh- what am I feeling, then?" I boldly asked.

Derek smirked, and my chest cavity was just threatening to burst. He just looked so _dangerous_, but _alluring_. He leaned down, and said so quietly, I had to strain to hear it, "You want me."

He leaned down, closing the gap between us. Now those people saying your breath being taken away was all false? _So_ not true. Derek literally took my breath away, as he swallowed my gasp.

His lips, soft yet firm, pressed against mine gently but powerfully. His forearms rested against the wall on either side of my head while he leaned down. My hands shot up, wrapping around his neck, keeping him close to me.

I didn't know what to do exactly, so I let Derek take the lead. At my submission, a low growl erupted from the back of Derek's throat. My head pulsed from the lack of oxygen, but I couldn't really bring myself to care.

Apparently, Derek could feel it, though, and he pulled away from me. I panted heavily, the air a major relief to my lungs. Derek's rough breaths evened out faster than mine and he waited for me to catch my breath.

"W- wow…" I sighed out. Derek simply smirked, turned around, and went to a drawer. He pulled out a black shirt and threw it on. He picked up the leather jacket off the floor, which I had dropped when I threw my arms around him.

He slipped it on easily and said, "C'mon. I'm taking you home."

I followed him down the stairs, to the car. I got in the seat quietly and Derek started the engine, driving me home. It didn't take him long to pull up in front of my driveway.

"Thanks for the ride," I said, smiling at Derek.

He nodded. "Anytime," he replied.

I opened the door, and suddenly remembered something. "Oh! Do you mind waiting a couple minutes? I still have your jacket from the other night."

Derek shook his head. "Keep it. Black leather looks good on you." He threw me a smirk and blood filled my cheeks again. _Dammit_.

"Ah, well, uh, bu-" I sputtered out. "Bye!" I said quickly, not knowing what else to say. I closed the door quickly behind me and jogged to the front door. I spared Derek one quick glance, but, since his windshield was tinted, I couldn't see him. I didn't doubt that he was looking at me though, so I gave him a wave before entering my house, locking the door behind me.

I all but jogged up the stairs, heading straight to my room. Before I could close the door, it was stopped by a hand. I backed up, letting Stiles enter my room.

"W-was that _Derek Hale_?!" Stiles demanded as I threw myself on my bed.

I angled my head, looking at my brother. "Yeah," I replied. "Why?"

"What were you doing with _him_?" Stiles pushed, taking a seat at my desk. "Scott called me and said you were with him, but I thought… I thought it was a joke or something."

I blushed, remembering the kiss Derek and I shared.

Stiles let out a groan. "No," he cried dreadfully. "No, no, _no_! _Please_ don't tell me you kissed the guy or something!"

I frowned. "So what if I did?" I challenged. "It's none of your business."

Stiles frowned. "Does he know he was your first?" Stiles's brows furrowed ambivalently. He was always pushing me to try dating, much to Dad's chagrin, but I was pretty sure he wasn't liking the fact that my first _real_ attraction was to an older werewolf.

I shook my head. "No. It's not like he needs to. Nothing's going to happen." I spared a glance at the clock, and was as glad as ever that Dad worked late nights. It was eleven o'clock. I yawned, and threw myself back onto the bed. "I'm gonna go to bed. Close the door on your way out."

I reluctantly climbed out of bed to get ready for bed. I vaguely heard Stiles close the door behind him, and when I went to close my window, I spotted Derek's Camaro just barely pulling out of my driveway.

* * *

So... here's the lame sonnet I wrote for AP Lit. Hush. It's my first time writing a sonnet. :|

**_Trust Me, Because You_ Can**

His powerful green eyes stare right at me,  
My heart, drawn to him, skips a one-two beat.  
A voice inside, whispers it cannot be.  
My breaths, caught in my throat, slowly deplete.  
He watches, close, but still too far away.  
Into his solemn mask he does withdraw,  
But ev'rything he has must be at bay.  
That icy mask of his I want to thaw.  
I walk forward, celadon locked on mine.  
He resists, eyes flashing back tot he past.  
With pain, the look falls into a resign.  
That past of his, away it should be cast.  
I reach for him, giving a small smile.  
He reaches, knowing it's worth his while.

Guys, I'm a writer, not a poet. :| If you didn't catch it, the part that inspired me was the scene when Derek says, "You're nothing but a little, sixteen-year-old girl. And... I want to know just _why_... I feel like I can trust you." And Sindy simply responds, "Because you can."

* * *

**A/N:** Drop a review, guys! :)


	7. Wolfsbane Bullet

**A/N:** Fuck. I failed at "Moonday" already. :c I didn't realize I hadn't updated until around 11PM last night, but I was so tired by then. My life has been revolving around school lately, and with the school year coming to an end, I need to get my C- in AP Stats up, or else I'll have to tell my college (which I have decided on UC Davis!). D: My grades are PERFECT, my lowest is a 94%, but then add in stupid math and I have a dumb joykill. Guys. Whoever says senior year is easy, it's not. It's not at all.

But on the plus side, this chapter is one of my favorites, mainly because it's my favorite episode from _Teen Wolf_. ;)

* * *

**FRIDAY  
****JANUARY 28, 2011**

I let out a heavy sigh, fixing the bag on my shoulder. I spun the combination of my lock before opening my locker. I slipped my textbooks back into their places before grabbing my math book.

I closed my locker before walking down the hallway, turning down the corner. I pursed my lips and frowned, remembering what Scott had told us about seeing Allison's dad with a woman last night. Scott was with Derek last night, trying to track down the Alpha, but they quickly lost its tracks, so Scott went home.

My frown deepened as I realized that I hadn't seen Derek since Tuesday night, right after he drove me home after fighting Scott.

I turned down the corner just in time to hear a small slam, making my head shoot up from my thoughts. My eyes widened as I spotted someone, decked in black, pinning Jackson to the lockers.

Seeing the black jacket, I recognized who it was immediately. "Derek?" I asked quietly, so low I barely heard myself. He was looking down at this hands, for what, I couldn't tell because I was too far away.

That seemed to snap the werewolf out of whatever daze he had. He strode towards me quickly, grabbing my wrist tightly and pulling me away. My eyes widened when he pinned me between the wall and his body. I felt his harsh, deep breaths hit the top of my head, blowing some of my strands.

The heat rose to my face, and I stuttered out, "Uh-h-ma-guh-wh…" I swallowed thickly before asking, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Derek's panting didn't cease as he struggled out, "Where's Scott?"

"Still in Spanish with Stiles…" I mumbled out. I looked up and saw his angular jaw. It was a lot paler than usual, and since he was cleanly shaven, I could see the sweat beading down his cheeks to his chin. I watched as a drop fell from his chin, falling to the ground.

Immediately, I straightened. "You okay?"

"I…" Derek panted out, "I need to see him."

The bell suddenly rang, and my knees almost gave away when Derek groaned in pain, leaning against me to not fall.

When the bell ceased, Derek stood up again. He was still breathing heavily, but I could tell he was just trying to hide his pain.

"He'll be out in the front," I told Derek. "He's-"

"Supposed to go to the Argent's house after school," Derek finished for me. "I heard."

I blinked, looking around to find Allison, only to see her nowhere in sight. _Whoa_. Werewolf hearing was pretty cool.

"C'mon, let's get to the front," I said. "Put your arm around my shoulders." Derek gave me an, _'Are you serious?'_ deadpan in response. I huffed. "I can see that you're about two minutes from dropping to the ground. It'll be a lot easier to drag you when you've got at least _one_ limb around me as opposed to none." Then I paused. "Wait… that's…" I sighed loudly. "Nevermind. Just do it."

Derek snorted in response and stepped back, unpinning me to the wall. He reluctantly swung an arm over my shoulder, and I dragged him to the front of the school. Man, he was a good ten or so inches taller than me, and probably weighed maybe seventy pounds more than me. He was heavy, _okay_?

I stumbled out of the school, giving the guy that held the door open for me a small smile. He looked at me strangely, but thankfully didn't comment.

I spotted Stiles' powder blue jeep, with him in the driver's seat, fingers tapping on the steering wheel impatiently. I could see him dig into his pocket, pulling out his phone. His fingers tapped over the screen before placing it to his ear. A couple seconds later, my phone began to vibrate in my pocket.

Without even bothering to pick it up, I dragged Derek over to the jeep. Stiles didn't even notice me, and I couldn't stop as Derek extricated himself from me, collapsing on the front of Stiles's jeep.

My brother jumped, yelling out, "OH MY GOD!" in the process. He looked forward, making eye contact with me before at the body slumped over his jeep. "OH MY GOD!" he cried again before stumbling out of the car.

He looked at me and disbelief and began to form incoherent sounds before mumbling "You've gotta be kidding me. This guy's everywhere…" He then turned to me and demanded, "What the hell did you do to him?!"

"Shut _up_!" I shushed, trying to avoid the attention we were gathering. "And I didn't do _anything_. Where's Scott?"

"What the hell is going on?" Scott demanded, walking over to where we were. He looked down at Derek's slumped body before turning to me accusingly, "What the hell did you do to him?"

"What makes you think _I_ did anything?" I retorted. "Like _I_ could do anything to _him_." I pointed at Derek's slumped body.

"Huh, she actually has a point," Stiles realized. I shot him a look that read, _'You think?'_ He simply shrugged in response.

Scott reached forward, turning Derek's body over. I saw the older werewolf grit his teeth in pain before exhaling deeply. I reached forward, placing a hand over one of Derek's sweaty ones. He took slow, labored breaths, before I felt a strong grip around my hand.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Scott asked, looking at Derek.

"I was shot…" Derek panted out.

"He's not looking so good, dude," Stiles piqued. I shot him another look. Did he _really_ need to point out the obvious?

"Why aren't you healing?" Scott asked, looking at the werewolf in slight concern.

"I can't," Derek shook his head. "It was… it was a different kind of bullet."

Stiles asked, "A silver bullet?"

Since Derek had told me silver didn't affect werewolves, I realized it was a stupid question. Derek shot a look to Stiles. "No, you idiot."

"Wait," Scott realized. "That's what she meant when she said you had forty-eight hours."

"What?" Derek looked at Scott with slight confusion. "Who… who said forty-eight hours?"

"The one who shot you," Scott replied. Derek recoiled suddenly and his eyes flashed an icy blue. He blinked multiple times, willing his wolf away, and his eyes flickering from green to blue. "What are you doing? Stop that!"

"I'm trying to tell you, I _can't_," Derek growled lowly, his eyes flickering colors. We were attracting a bit too much attention.

"We need to get out of here," I mumbled, and the guys nodded in agreement. I climbed into the car first, getting into the backseat while Scott and Stiles pulled Derek into the passenger seat.

"I need you to find out what kind of bullet they used," Derek said to Scott.

Scott looked at Derek in confusion. "How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"Because she's an Argent," Derek referred to whom I had no doubt was Allison. "She's with them."

"Why should _I_ help _you_?" Scott retorted.

I could see the impatience creep into Derek's tone. "Because you need me."

"Fine," Scott relented. "I'll try." He turned to Stiles and said, "Hey, get him out of here."

Stiles groaned, but started the engine. "I hate you for this so much." He backed out of the parking space, leaving the crowd of teenagers behind.

Stiles turned out of the parking lot, and I pulled out a packet of tissues that I carried around from my bag. Derek panted heavily as I moved to wipe his forehead, getting rid of the sweatdrops that had built up there.

"Call Scott," Stiles ordered me, his eyes darting over to my hands, which were taking care of Derek as best as they could. _Whoa, there_. I meant "taking care" as in, his bullets of sweat. "Why the hell are you turning red?"

Derek angled his head so he would meet my eyes, but I darted back into the seat, pulling out my phone and quickly calling Scott, who was number three on my speed dial. The first was Stiles and the second was my dad.

I held it to my ear and it rang and rang and rang… "He's not answering," I frowned, my eyebrows coming together.

"He's probably making out with Allison," Stiles grumbled, pulling out his own phone. He held it to his ear, but let out a frustrated sigh before sending him an angry text.

He glowered at Derek, who was taking off his black leather jacket. Stiles continued to scowl until he picked up his phone. "'_Need more time'_!" Stiles exclaimed, throwing his free hand in the air. "Are they gonna sex it up before he finds the bullet or something?!"

The image of Scott and Allison rolling around in a bed filled my thoughts and my frown got deeper. I _so_ did not need that disgusting visual. I voiced that opinion out loud, but Stiles just huffed angrily.

"Try not to bleed out on my seats, okay?" Stiles demanded, turning down the road and further into the woods. "We're almost there."

"Almost where?" Derek asked, slightly out of breath.

Stiles sighed heavily. "Your house," he replied in a matter-of-factly tone.

Derek's head shot up and he glanced at my brother. "What?" he asked for clarification. "No. You can't take me there."

"I can't take you to your own house!" Stiles exclaimed in disbelief.

"Not while I can't protect myself," Derek shook his head.

"He's right, Stiles," I quipped. Stiles shot me a venomous look before reaching to shift gears and then pulled up to a curb.

"Can you just… _not_?" Stiles asked me. "It's bad enough that the first guy that you've probably shown interest in can _kill_ you and he's literally _dying_ right now!" I smacked his head. "_Ow_!"

Derek tossed me an unreadable look, but I didn't want to meet his eyes. Not while he was dying and _not_ with my brother around. I swear, it was his (my brother's) life mission to somehow mortify me.

Stiles turned to Derek, giving up on trying to "reason" with me. "Alright, what happens if Scott doesn't find your little magic bullet, _hmm_? Are you dying?"

"Not yet," Derek panted out. "I have a last resort."

Stiles didn't take that news too well. "What do you _mean_? _What_ last resort?!"

Derek lifted up his left sleeve, and I cringed when I saw the bloodied wound with a massive hole the side of two of my fingers embedded in his arm. It even made a weird squishy sound.

"Oh, my, God," Stiles cringed, turning away from the scene. "What is that?" He gagged a little bit. "Oh, is that contagious? "Y'know what? You should probably just get out."

"Start the car," Derek ignored Stiles's comment. "Now."

Stiles blinked in disbelief. "I don't think you should be _barking_ orders with the way you look, okay? In fact, I think if I wanted to, I could probably drag your little werewolf ass out into the middle of the road and leave you for _dead_!" He boldly looked at Derek.

The werewolf simply turned to Stiles and said, "Start the car… or I'm gonna rip your throat out… with my teeth."

It was silent for a couple of seconds before Stiles looked away and started his car and drove away, mumbling about "stupid werewolves" and "fucking bullets." I think I even heard a "stupid sister that loves murderers," too. What the _hell_?

"Stiles," I growled lowly. "Just drive."

"Fine, fine," my brother grumbled, turning the steering wheel. "Any brilliant ideas on where are destination is?"

"No," I shook my head. "Just drive until we figure something out."

For hours, we came up with random ideas, which were quickly shot down by either Derek or me. The sun had fully set and it was nighttime now, and there was still no answer from Scott. I sent him an angry text.

**Sindy Stilinski: **_**Dammit, Scott. Hurry up.**_

I locked my phone angrily and huffed, crossing my arms.

Stiles had been driving around town in circles for hours, not sure of where to go. We couldn't really take him back to our house.

I placed my hand on Derek's shoulder, asking, "How are you doing?"

"Manageable," he grunted out.

Stiles's phone began to ring, echoing loudly. My brother fumbled with his phone for a few seconds before turning on the speaker, answering the phone, "What am I supposed to do with him?" he demanded.

"_Take him somewhere,"_ Scott's frantic voice replied. _"Anywhere."_

Stiles huffed a sigh. "And by the way, he's starting to smell." I glowered at him and whacked the back of his head. "Ow! It's true!"

"_Like-like what?"_

"Like _death_," Stiles hissed. I frowned as Stiles whipped around to look at me. "And you know it's true, don't deny it, Sindy."

Derek glowered at my brother.

"_Take him to the animal clinic,"_ Scott suggested.

"… What about your boss?" I blinked, confused.

"_He's gone by now,"_ Scott replied. _"You know where the spare key is, Sindy. In the box behind the dumpster."_

Stiles sighed heavily. You didn't often see Stiles stressed, but in this past month, Stiles has been on edge because of this whole "my best friend's a werewolf" ordeal. He handed Derek the phone, "This is unbelievable."

"Did you find it?" Derek demanded, taking the phone.

"_How am I supposed to find_ one bullet_? They have a million! This how is like… like the fricken' Walmart of guns!"_

"Look, if you don't find it, then I'm dead, alright?" Derek bluntly pointed out.

"_I'm starting to think that wouldn't be such a bad thing."_

"Scott…" I growled. "Just find the damn bullet."

"Then think about this: The Alpha called you out against your will. He's gonna do it again. Next time, you either kill him, or get killed. So if you want yourself, your little girlfriend, your stupid best friend, or Sindy to stay alive, then you need me. Find the bullet." Without any further ado, Derek hung up, tossing the phone back at Stiles.

"How come I'm called the stupid best friend and Sindy is referred to by her name?" Stiles demanded, turning to look at Derek.

"Because she's the only one worth acknowledging," Derek retorted. He glanced back at me and my eyes met his. Against my will, my heart began to pound and I looked away, but not before noticing the smirk that crept onto Derek's face.

"Dude, can you not hit on my sister?" Stiles asked, looking from Derek to me and then back to Derek. "You're like, dying, and you're still hitting on her?"

Derek glared at Stiles. "I'm not hitting on her. Now drive."

Stiles took a glance back at me. "Just so you know, I don't approve of this."

"There is no _this_," Derek and I said at the same time, much to my surprise. "Now drive."

"Okay, okay, jeez," Stiles grumbled, turning on the engine. He pressed on the gas lightly, and I felt the car move as he drove us to the animal clinic Scott worked at.

Once the car came to a stop, I scrambled out of the car, hurrying to get the spare key. I grabbed the key in the box before running back to the entrance, opening the door. Stiles lifted up the metal door, and Derek stumbled in before collapsing on a chair.

Stiles's phone chimed with a text when I sat down next to Derek. I brushed pulled down the sleeve of my jacket to wipe away some of the sweat that had gather around his forehead.

"Does Nordic blue monkshood mean anything to you?" Stiles asked, turning around.

"It's a rare form of wolfsbane," Derek told us. "He has to bring me the bullet."

"Why?" Stiles asked.

Derek huffed out a deep breath, looking up at Stiles with an 'are you stupid' gaze. "Because I'm gonna die without it."

"You're not a particularly positive person, are you?" I attempted to joke to ease the tension that had built.

That seemed to do the trick, because Derek scoffed. "Obviously."

I stood up, grabbing the arm that was uninjured. "Stiles, help me get him to the treatment room."

"Why do _I_ get the injured arm?" Stiles grumbled. The two of us lifted Derek up and _boy_, was he heavy. "Oh, dude, you might wanna cut back on the fries."

We walked to the treatment room in the back, and I almost fell back in shock when Stiles suddenly let go to hit the lights. "Stiles!" I cried, stumbling from the weight. Thankfully, Derek caught himself and stayed up right.

I released Derek cautiously and he took off his shirt.

Blood rushed up to my cheeks as I took in his profile. _Wow_. He was heavy, but it _definitely_, _for sure_ wasn't because of the fact that he ate _fries_. No, no, no. He was completely smooth and muscular.

Derek stumbled a bit, throwing his shirt onto a counter. I spotted the three-spiral tattoo in-between his strong shoulder blades and remembered the story behind it. I snapped out of my thoughts as he leaned against the table Deaton always used to treat animals.

"_Oh my God_!" Stiles exclaimed, a tone of disgust in his voice. "The guy is literally _dying_ and you're practically eye-fucking him!"

I balled my hand into a fist and struck him in the gut. He coughed in shock, the air blown out of him. "On second thought," he wheezed out. "It doesn't look all that bad. Doesn't look anything some Echinacea and a good night's sleep couldn't take care of."

It was then I got a good look at Derek's arm and the open wound was bleeding, and the veins on his arm was completely black. I resisted the urge to hit Stiles just because.

"When the infection reaches my heart," Derek took deep breaths between his words, "it'll kill me." He turned around and began to search the shelves for something.

"'Positivity' just isn't in your vocabulary, is it?" Stiles demanded.

"If he doesn't get here with the bullet in time…" Derek pulled open a shelf. "Last resort."

"Which is…?" Stiles prompted as Derek pulled out what resembled a small saw. My face dropped and I swear my heart stuttered.

"You're gonna cut off my arm," Derek said, looking at Stiles.

"Oh, my–" Stiles stopped himself, unable to form words. "I – oh God. I need some air." He looked at me and pointed weakly at Derek, "J-just watch him, okay? I-I'm gonna call Scott." He continued to mumble to himself, leaving the room.

I frowned as Derek threw the saw on the table. "Help me find a tourniquet," he panted out.

"Wh-why don't you sit and let me look?" I suggested, placing a hand on Derek's back. I felt the slickness of his sweat and it was only then I realized just how much in pain he was. I looked up at him, concerned. "How bad is it?"

Derek paused in his actions. He looked down at me, waiting.

"On a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest," I continued.

"Thirty," Derek replied simply. He pulled out a blue rubber strip, which was undoubtedly used as a tourniquet and threw it on the table.

I frowned, reaching to look at his injured arm. I took it softly, and I could feel how tense his muscles were. "I'm gonna see if there's something to make the pain less."

I turned to go look for a disinfectant or something, but a tight grip on my wrist stopped me. As I glanced down at my wrist, I saw Derek's uninjured arm shot out, gripping my wrist.

"Wait…" he panted out. My eyes followed a trail of sweat that trickled down the side of his head.

"Wh–" I started, but was interrupted. He swooped down, and my eyes widened in shock when his lips connected with my own.

I never really understood why girls in the romance novels I read always talked about toe-curling, mind-blowing kisses. I just always thought they were just contact with lips and they were just blowing it out of proportion.

In fact, I was underestimating it all.

My arms shot out and wrapped around his body, hands splaying on his slick, sweaty back. His good hand went to my nape, twisting his fingers into my brown locks, holding my head at an angle.

I leaned against him, standing on the tips of my toes in order to kiss him properly. He took my upper lip between his, and I took his bottom with my own. I nipped at his full lip and he let out a groan, his hand tightening in my hair.

All of a sudden, he let out another groan, but it was much different than the one before.

I pulled back abruptly and Derek looked down at me with hazy eyes, his breath coming out shallowly. "Derek?" I asked, taking a step back. He swayed a bit, but I caught him just in time. "Stiles!" I called, and Derek leaned against the metal table. "STILES!"

Rapid footsteps came running back in and my brother barreled through the door. "Shit," he cursed, seeing Derek's condition.

Derek grabbed the bone saw and slid it over to Stiles before taking the tourniquet and tying it tightly around his arm. Derek made eye contact with me before turning to Stiles.

"What if you bleed to death?" Stiles inquired.

"It'll heal if it works," Derek replied.

"Look," Stiles choked out. "I don't know if I can do this. Maybe Sindy sh-"

"_No_," Derek protested, a growl in his voice. "Why can't you do it?"

"Well, because of the cutting through the flesh, the sawing of the bone, and especially the blood! Sindy's works at a hospital! Surely she can do it!"

"_No_," Derek stated firmly. "Are you _faint_ at the sight of blood?"

"No, but I might at the sight of a _chopped-off arm_! Why are you so adamant about Sindy _not_ doing it? She'll do a better job than me!"

Derek heaved heavily. "Because she _can't_," Derek said. His eyes darted over to me. "I'm not subjecting her to the sight of her cutting off my arm."

"But you will to _me_?" Stiles gaped.

"Obviously," Derek retorted. "How about this? Either you cut off my arm, or I'm gonna cut off your head."

"Okay, you know what? I'm _so_ not buying your threats any-" my twin was cut off by Derek roughly grabbing him with his free arm, and it wasn't the kind of grabbing Derek did to me. It was rough and threatening. "Oh my God. Okay, alright, alright. Bought. Sold. Totally. I'll do it. I'll do it."

Derek looked impossibly pale and I ran over to see what was wrong, before he heaved out some black liquid from his mouth.

"Holy God, what the hell is _that_?!" Stiles whined.

I rubbed Derek's back, and I assumed it was werewolf blood when it was poisoned, or something along those lines. I wiped the bit of blood that was still at the corner of his lips and Derek panted out, "It's my body… trying to heal itself."

"Well, it's not doing a very good job of it," Stiles commented. I looked over to my brother and saw that he was actually quite nauseous and was about to throw up himself.

"Now," Derek demanded. "You've gotta do it now." I felt his free hand entwine with my right one.

"Look, honestly, I don't think I can."

"_Just do it_!" Derek roared.

"Oh, God. Okay, okay." I heard the saw buzz to life. I closed my eyes and squeezed Derek's free hand tightly. "Oh my God. Alright, here we go!"

"Stiles?! Sindy?!" I heard a familiar voice call.

"Scott/Scotty?!" Stiles and I called back at the same time.

Scott came running into the room, and his eyes darted from us to Derek to the bone saw. "What the hell are you doing?!" Scott demanded.

Stiles let out a breathless laugh of relief as Derek extricated his fingers from mine. "Oh, you just prevented a lifetime of nightmares," Stiles sighed.

"Did you get it?" Derek asked Scott.

Scott dug into his pocket and pulled out a small, long, golden bullet. Derek looked at it and I asked, "What are you gonna do with it?"

"I'm gonna…" Derek panted out. "I'm gonna…" His free hand slumped back onto the table, and the bullet rolled away.

My eyes widened as I swayed as Derek fell limp in my arms, and I almost fell to the ground before Stiles grabbed me and dragged me away. Derek collapsed to the ground and Scott dived after the bullet.

Stiles and I scrambled to our feet, rushing over to Derek. Stiles grabbed the werewolf's head and began to pat his face. "Derek. Derek, come on, wake up."

"Derek?" I asked, shaking him. My heart began to pound heavily in my chest. "Derek! Wake up!"

"-not waking up!" I heard Stiles cry in panic. "I think he's dying. I think he's dead!"

"Just hold on!" Scott replied.

"How can we _hold on_?!" I demanded. "Derek could be dead!" I cried. I reached to feel his heartbeat, but it was only _very_, _very_ faint. "His heartbeat's incredibly weak."

"Back up, Sindy," Stiles said. I did as he told me and he pulled back his arm. He gave a swift punch to Derek's face just as Scott yelled that he got the bullet.

To my relief, Derek opened his eyes and Stiles cradled his right hand in pain. Scott pushed Derek up and the older man ripped off the cap of the bullet before pouring out the wolfsbane.

"Lighter," he told me. I turned around, grabbing the lighter that was on the counter. Derek had pulled it out earlier, but I had no idea why. I handed it to him and he placed the lighter to the wolfsbane.

I pulled back in shock as the wolfsbane was set on fire and sparked angrily before fading to a light blue smoke that sizzled gently. Derek gathered up the wolfsbane before shoving it into his wound, crying out in pain when he dug his finger into the wound to force all the wolfsbane in.

I jumped back in shock when Derek collapsed to the ground, roaring out in pain. A few seconds later, the dark veins around his wound started to retract, and then his wound all but disappeared.

"That… was… AWESOME!" Stiles exclaimed. "YES!"

"Oh my God!" I cried, running to Derek. I knelt down next to him and threw my arms around him. His right arm went around my waist and I helped him up.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked.

"Well, except for the agonizing pain," Derek retorted.

"I guess the ability to use sarcasm is a good sign of health," Stiles commented. He was immediately shut up by a glower from Derek before the werewolf moved to take off his tourniquet.

"Okay, we saved your life, which means you're gonna leave us alone, you got that?" Scott demanded. "And if you don't, I'm gonna go back to Allison's dad, and I'm gonna tell him everything-"

"You're gonna trust them?" Derek asked. "You think they can help you?"

"Why not?" Scott demanded. "They're a lot freaking nicer than _you_ are."

Derek took the challenge. "I can show you exactly how nice they are. Drive us to my house, first."

"C'mon," Stiles said, grabbing his best friend. "I wanna stop being were-grumpy's chauffeur ASAP." The two teenaged boys left the room, leaving me alone with Derek.

"What happened earlier," Derek turned to me, grabbing his shirt from the floor. "It-"

"Means nothing, right?" I cut him off. "Is this gonna be one of those clichés where the guy only kissed the girl because she was the only one there?"

Derek slid the rest of his shirt on before tugging at the bottom of it. "That isn't it," he refuted, walking over to me. He placed a hand on my cheek and I leaned into it instinctively. "What happened was… _something_. But what you want emotionally, I can't give to you."

"What do you mean by that?"

Derek simply placed a hand on top of my head. "Your first relationship should be with someone who can love you."

I frowned, not really understanding his words. He walked out of the room, leaving me wondering just how messed up the Argents had left him.

* * *

**She-WolfMoon:** Thank you! :D  
**rachel mccullen:** Ah~ thank you! :)  
**Ayase Yuuki:** Hah. I'm no girly-girl either. Strictly jeans and t-shirt. Not even shorts, and I don't own a single skirt. xD Ah~ thank you.  
**goddess of the nigth:** Thank you! I love Sinrek! :D  
**MsRose91:** Thank you!  
**Daenerys86:** Hah. I love unintentional internal rhymes. xD  
**PsychoticSmartypants:** YOU'RE FRICKIN AMAZING! :D  
**FizzWizz2011:** Thank you!

* * *

**A/N:** Leave a review! Think we can hit 45?! Since I'm going on a DC/NY trip from Monday to Friday next week, I won't be able to update, but if I can hit 45-50 reviews, I'll update Sunday night before my trip! ;)


	8. Alpha Attack

**A/N:** Hello~ I'd say I'd update Sunday if I got 50 reviews total, but since I'm feeling MAJORLY generous, I decided to update a day earlier! :) No complaints, right?

* * *

**SUNDAY  
****JANUARY 30, 2011**

"Okay, so _what_ movie did you want, again?" I asked, cradling the phone in the crook of my neck as I pulled up to the movie store. I shut off the car, and threw my keys carelessly into my bag. I popped open the car door, locking the door behind me.

"_Anything that's not a rom-com,"_ Stiles replied, and I could _hear_ the rolling of his eyes. _"Bacon burger and curly fries?"_

"Please and thank you," I replied, before hanging up. I walked into the store, and was greeted by the employee, who was fixing the lights in the ceiling. I gave a small greeting in return, before turning down one of the aisles.

I browsed through the mystery section, trying to pick something for us to watch. My finger stopped on _Sherlock Holmes_, wondering if I should get it. The sequel was coming out at the end of this year, and we could refresh our memories.

"Can somebody help me find _The Notebook_?" I heard an all-too familiar voice call out a couple minutes later.

I poked my head out of the aisle, and my eyes landed on a familiar brunet. "Jackson?" I called out, recognizing the lacrosse captain.

"Sindy!" Jackson exclaimed in shock. "Oh, shit. I mean… uh…" His eyes darted to come up with an excuse as to why he was watching _The Notebook_.

"Lydia?" I provided for him, my lips curling in amusement. He nodded silently. I chuckled under my breath. He was so whipped. The phone began to ring, and I looked around curiously. The worker that was on the ladder earlier was suddenly gone.

"Is _anyone_ working here?" Jackson asked, approaching me. I was about to meet him half-way, when he suddenly froze in shock, in the middle of the aisle. I looked at him curiously, and saw him staring at something on the floor. My eyes followed his line of vision, and I spotted a pair of dark, dirty shoes slumped out from behind an aisle.

"Sindy," Jackson said cautiously, taking slow, wary steps. "Stay close and _right_ behind me."

I nodded, and wondered if I should call Derek or Scott. I couldn't shake this feeling that somehow, the Alpha was involved in this. I sure hoped it wasn't the case, but it was better to my safer than sorry, right? I followed Jackson as we approached the feet, and I pulled out my phone slowly. We cautiously peeked our heads around the shelf, and I let out a gasp when I saw the employee that had greeted me earlier on the floor.

His eyes were opened in shock behind his framed glasses, and what was worse? His throat torn out. The crimson blood was spilled everywhere, covering his neck, collarbones, and soaking through his shirt.

Jackson stumbled back in shock, which caused the lights to flicker ominously behind us as the ladder dropped to the ground with a loud crash. My hands shakily unlocked the phone, my instincts going crazy. I went to search my contacts, but then I froze, hearing a low growl not too far away. I turned my head, and I shook when my eyes made contact with piercing red ones. I stood, paralyzed for who knows how long, before Jackson roughly pulled me down behind a shelf.

I worked to try to unlock my phone, which had locked itself in my shock. I was trying to call _someone_, _anyone_. Derek, Scott, Stiles, Dad…

I heard a heavy thud, and then another. And then another. It didn't take a genius to know that the shelves were falling. I let out a scream, and I ducked, falling to the ground, dropping my phone in process. In the midst of all the loud thumping sounds, I could hear my phone ringing quietly, but couldn't check it. I felt a presence right behind me, and willed myself to suppress my shudder.

I could feel the giant animal loom over Jackson and me. A huge, furry claw reached out past me, and it peeled down the back of Jackson's jacket. It growled lowly before I felt it lean down, so close that I could feel its breath against the back of my neck. It took a long, heavy sniff at me before suddenly jumping away. I heard the glass shatter in the distance, but I was too shocked to even move.

"_Sindy?"_ I heard a faint, distorted voice ask. _"What was that sound?" _I knew that voice. Derek.

I scrambled for my phone, which had been crushed beneath my chest earlier. I had dropped it in my haste, and hadn't even realized I accidentally called someone. That explained the soft ringing I heard earlier.

"Derek?" I exhaled, placing the phone to my ear. My lungs started to constrict tightly. "I-I-" I struggled out. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even _see_. My eyesight was beginning to blur, and my head throbbed painfully. Did I hit my head? I don't think so. It was probably the adrenaline running through my veins.

"_Breathe, Sindy,"_ Derek ordered, and I could hear a voice yell at him in the background. Judging from what I knew and could process, it was Scott. _"Where are you?"_

"Video 2*C," I said quietly. "With Jackson. S-someone was killed…"

"_I'll be right there,"_ Derek said, before I heard a dial tone.

"S-Sindy…?" Jackson stuttered out. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah…" I nodded. "W-we need to get out of here."

"It's small enough for you to slide out first," Jackson told me. "Slide out and then call the police." I nodded and used my forearms to drag myself out from underneath the shelves. I dialed the police and helped Jackson out from under the shelves.

"_911, what's your emergency?"_ I heard a voice drone.

"I-I'm at Video 2*C," I reported. "S-someone was just killed a-and we were attacked."

"_I'll send someone right over. Is there anyone else hurt?"_

Jackson took the phone out of my hands and snapped, "Someone just _died_! So hurry up!" Without waiting for a reply, he angrily hung up the phone. "C'mon. Let's go. I need to see if Lydia's okay."

Jackson took my wrist and all but dragged me out. Lydia was panicking like crazy in her car, so Jackson let go of me to run over to his girlfriend. I could hear the sirens in the distance, and shivered, unable to repress what I had just seen.

The paramedic came out and addressed to me first, since I was standing by myself. "Anything hurt?" he asked kindly. I shook my head. He quickly examined me, and deemed that I was completely fine. When I had said my head hurt, he told me I didn't have a concussion, and it was most likely from the blood that was rushing to my veins.

A few minutes later, I saw my dad's car pull up. Before the car could even stop, Stiles was already barreling out the door. "Sindy!" he cried, running over to me.

"Stiles!" I exclaimed, before all but launching myself at my twin brother. I relished in his warm, comfortable hold and he cradled me softly, kissing the side of my head softly.

"Thank God you're okay," Stiles said into my hair. He swayed us side-to-side. It was times like these that I truly appreciated having Stiles as a big brother. He was always there to comfort me.

I felt a larger hand stroke my hair and looked up to see Dad looking down at me. "You okay?" he asked patiently and softly. When I nodded, he asked, "Do you remember seeing anything?"

I shook my head. "It all happened so fast. I-I think it was a mountain lion or something…"

At that, Dad seemed to be fine with my statement, and ordered, "You two stay here. I'm going to talk to the paramedics."

"Stiles," I said hurriedly. "It was the Alpha."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Stiles said, pulling away from me. "The Alpha did this?" he exclaimed.

"_Shh_!" I hissed, bobbing my head to the paramedics, who were no more than three feet away. Thankfully, they were too engaged in talking with the sheriff.

"Right," Stiles whispered loudly. "The Alpha? You saw it?" I nodded. All of a sudden, his attention was pulled away from me. "Oh, whoa! Is that a dead body?!"

Dad and I threw Stiles a look that read, _"Really?"_ My brother looked slightly repented and he shrugged his shoulders.

I felt a change in the air, almost like something had arrived… or more like… someone. My eyes darted to the crowd, searching for the presence I sought out. I couldn't see anything, but just before I gave up, my head angled upwards.

My eyes made contact with a dark figure that stood above on the ceiling, and on closer inspection, it was Derek. Right next to him was Scott, who was crouched over, observing the scene.

"Stiles, drive your sister home," I heard Dad say. "I need to finish up here."

Stiles nodded his head, and I felt his warm hand engulf mine. "Let's go," he said, bobbing his head in the direction of my car. I followed him silently. I slid into the passenger seat and threw my purse on my lap.

Stiles reached over and dug into my purse before pulling out my car keys. He started the car and drove us home.

The ride was mostly filled with silence, as I was trying to wrap my head around what had just happened. "I could've died," I said out loud, staring out the window. "Its eyes were a gleaming, blood-red. And its body was _huge_, covered in thick, black, fur."

"You're fine, Sindy," Stiles assured. With his right hand, he reached over and took my left. "You're fine," he repeated.

I nodded dully, and I felt the car come to a stop. Stiles shut off the engine and turned to me. "You gonna be okay, sis?"

"Y-yeah," I confirmed. "I-I just need to sleep it off."

"Y'know, it's been a long time since we've cuddled…" Stiles commented casually. The corner of my lips curled. "There's the smile," he grinned, poking my cheek. "Seriously, though. Just come in if you need to, alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Stiles," I said.

Stiles leaned over the console and hugged me, and I relished in his arms. My brother was one of the world's best huggers. "Any time, sis."

I popped open the car door, and began to walk to the house, with Stiles right behind me. I stalked up the stairs, and quickly pulled off my bra, kicking off my shoes once I got into my room and closed the door behind me. I didn't even bother to turn on my lights, because I knew I was just going to go to bed once I had the chance to.

I tossed the undergarment to the side haphazardly and went to open the window to let in some fresh air. I turned around, pulling off my jeans to change into a pair of comfortable, pink pajama pants with black outlines of pigs. It was a random gift Stiles had bought for me while he was out shopping one day. I could sleep in the tank top I was wearing right now. I was too tired to change. I went to brush my teeth after charging my phone.

Once finished, I re-entered my bedroom, and felt a presence enter my bedroom.

I whirled around, my hair flying behind me as I did so. Standing at my now-closed window was Derek Hale, dressed in his usual black leather jacket, dark grey Henley, black jeans, and of course, black shoes.

"Derek…" I exhaled. My body moved on its own accord, and I all but launched myself at the werewolf. He didn't do anything, just standing there, allowing me to wrap my arms around him.

His leather jacket was cold, but when I slipped my hands under the jacket, I could feel the body heat radiating off of him. I buried my face into his chest, taking in the woodsy, nature-like scent that was Derek.

I stood there, holding him for who-knows-how long, and when his arms finally snaked around me, it was like a flip that was switched on.

A dam burst, and I found myself sobbing uncontrollably, digging my face into Derek's shirt to muffle my sounds. My body shook crazily, and I clung onto the werewolf, not even caring that I was soaking up his shirt and forcing my feelings onto him.

The lifeless, dull eyes of the worker stared back at me when I shut my eyes tightly, and I tightened my fists together. It happened while I was right _there._

It could've been _me_.

It could've been _me_ lying there, on the ground, with my throat slashed open.

It could've been _me_ that had scared Jackson away.

It could've been _me_ that was _dead_.

Derek didn't do anything. He didn't shush me. He didn't whisper words of comfort. He just stood there, hands limply around me as he let me soak his shirt.

Breathing became something incredibly hard to do, and I pulled away, gasping for air. My lungs were craving oxygen, and I had to stop and calm down. I could feel myself almost begin to hyperventilate, something I haven't felt in an incredibly long time.

"Breathe," Derek said calmly. "In and out."

I did as he told and took a deep breath, before exhaling. I did it a couple more times, before I was finally able to settle down. I stumbled back and sat down on my bed before my legs gave away.

I buried my face into my hands, and felt the wetness make contact with my skin. I pulled my hands away before I wiped them away with the sleeve of my sweater, before glancing up.

Derek was still standing in front of my window, waiting patiently for something. I noticed a huge, dark spot in the center of his chest, and I mumbled out a soft, "Sorry," before looking down at my carpeted ground.

"It's fine," Derek brushed off. I heard him grab the chair at my desk and rolled it so it was in front of me. He sat down, and leaned forward, but all I could see were his dark shoes. "Sindy," he said. I didn't budge. "Sindy, look at me," he ordered firmly, yet softly.

I warily glanced up. I blinked a couple of times, because my eyes were sore.

"I need you to tell me what you saw," Derek slowly urged. "Everything. Don't leave anything out."

"Where do I start?" I mumbled.

"From when you entered the store," Derek supplied.

I nodded slowly, and felt a dull throb in the back of my head. I didn't want to tell him, but I knew I had to. Derek needed it to find the Alpha.

"I was planning on getting movies to watch with my dad and my brother tonight," I started, thinking back to the reason. "It had been a while since Dad was actually _free_, so Dad and Stiles decided to go get food while I went to go get some DVDs. I was supposed to get a bacon burger and curly fries… I went to the store, and the worker greeted me. I was looking around in the mystery section, because Stiles and Dad love that genre, when I heard Jackson's voice ask if they had _The Notebook_.

"I met up with Jackson, but then he noticed something, so I turned to see what it was, as well. It was then the lights started flickering and I thought I saw… _feet_. I walked closely with Jackson, because he didn't want me too far. I felt on edge, and I wondered if it was the Alpha, so I was planning on calling you or Scott… I-I saw the dead body… and… I freaked out.

"The shelves then fell, and I was pushed under before I could call any of you. I-I must've accidentally hit the keys, because I heard your voice, bu-but before that… I saw something. It was huge, and furry an-and _animalistic_. It wasn't even human. It wasn't anything like your or Scott's wolf form. It was like an actual animal. Its eyes were so red… li-like the worker's blood."

I grabbed my hair, tangling my fingers into the soft locks. I felt warm hands cover mine, but I continued on, unable to stop.

"It came up to me. I-I was so scared. This _huge_ claw came up to Jackson, who was on the floor next to me, and touched the back of his neck. I-it was like some sort of _wound_. An-and then he moved on to me. B-but it was weird. He took a large _sniff_ at me, like he was identifying me with _smell_ before running off. A-and then I heard your voice…"

"Sindy," Derek said slowly, and I felt my hands untangle themselves from my hair. "Was that all the Alpha did?"

I nodded mutely.

Derek nodded before leaning forward. He lifted my chin up and my eyes focused on his green ones. He leaned a bit more, and his forehead rested on my own.

I closed my eyes, relishing in the contact.

I felt something touch my lips and felt a warmth flow through my body. My arms shot out, wrapping around Derek's neck.

His hands immediately went to my hips, lifting me up easily. My legs immediately tangled around Derek's hips and I felt him move me so I was placed in the center of my bed. My legs dropped to the side once I was placed on my bed, but my arms still kept themselves around Derek's neck. His left hand went up, tangling themselves into my hair, while his right ran up and down my side. I felt the side of my tank top lift up, and a warm, slightly hard pad of a thumb gently ran itself along the course of my skin.

Our lips broke apart, and I sucked in a deep breath, while Derek's lips trailed to my jaw, before moving down to the side of my neck. He nipped at the skin, and I let out a breathy moan.

"Shh…" Derek hushed quietly against my skin. "You don't want your brother coming in here, do you?" I shook my head, and I felt the rumble of his chest as he chuckled deeply. It sent a shiver – the good kind – down my spine, and I shuddered slightly. "Cold?"

"You should keep me warm, then," I mumbled, grabbing his nape. I brought him back to my lips, and I gave him the best kiss I could muster. I wanted to leave him as breathless as he did me. I moved to roll us over, and was slightly surprised when Derek held no resistance. He was more of the "in-control" kind of guy, but I was pleased that he let me take control.

I hovered over him, and stared down into his eyes. My dark hair had formed a curtain around me, which didn't really make much of a difference, since the lights were off in my room anyway. The only source of light came from the moon and streetlights outside my window, which Derek had closed on his way in. Even in the darkness, I could feel the heat and intensity of his celadon eyes.

My heart thumped against my chest, and I remembered his words from a couple of days ago. He couldn't give me what I wanted.

Despite that, though, I couldn't help it.

No one understood me as well as Derek had.

Stiles understood me to an extent, but there was always the line that a brother and sister had that just never crossed. We would never be able to talk about relationships that much, and I just wasn't comfortable sharing certain things with Stiles… even if he did know my menstrual cycle.

With Derek, there was this pull… this emotional connection that just forced us together. From the very beginning, I had trusted Derek much more than was probably deemed healthy. Stiles and Scott frowned on it, but I couldn't back down. Not with this.

Derek's left hand went to cup the side of my face, and his thumb stroked my cheek gently. "You're thinking too hard," he said.

I gave him a small smile. I leaned down, and placed my lips over his soft ones. I nibbled on his top lip, as he took my bottom lip. I felt his large, warm hand slip under my waist band, and rub the outside of my right thigh in slow, even strokes. Every now and then, they would brush past my boyshorts, up my side, and down to my thighs again.

I pulled away from his lips, going to the corner of them. I gave them a small peck, before making a trail upwards. I took the shell of his ear in-between my lips and bit down softly. Derek let out a soft growl, and I felt his grip on my thigh get tighter.

My fingertips danced at the edge of his shirt, teasing the sliver of skin that was located there. I placed my palm flat on his muscles there, and felt them constrict. My fingers dusted over the light platter of hair that was located near his belly button, before trailing upwards, feeling his smooth, hard skin. Derek's hands moved and went to snake around my waist. They pulled me so my lower half was flushed against him, and I let out a breathy sigh into Derek's ear.

He let out another low growl, before turning us over, so he was back on top. I sat up a little bit, and reached to rid him of his jacket. Derek didn't resist, and he allowed me to throw his jacket somewhere randomly in my room. I threw myself at him, locking my arms around his neck and pulled him down with me, back onto the bed.

I could feel his muscles ripple under my touch as I ran my hands up and down his clothed chest. I was incredibly eager to actually _feel_ those muscles, but I knew it wasn't the right time. I wasn't ready for this. Not yet, at least. The idea of this actually becoming something more excited me, and when Derek let out a low growl, I knew he heard my heartbeat pick up and I wouldn't put it past him to actually _smell_ my excitement.

I was such a hussy, oh my God.

I'd only lost my first kiss to him just five days ago, and I was already thinking about myself in… _compromising_ positions with Derek.

Derek let out a low chuckle, almost as if he could feel what I was feeling. Well… I guess he could, to an extent. He pulled his lips away from mine, and gave me a kiss, much softer than the intense ones we had just now.

"You should go to bed," Derek said, pushing himself up.

"Stay with me," I said quietly. "Just… lie there."

Derek looked down at me, and the moonlight made it easy for me to see his eyes clearly. He was deep in thought for a while, being quiet for just a couple of minutes. When I thought that he was going to refuse my request, he finally said, "Only until you fall asleep."

I nodded, taking what I could get.

Derek rolled off of me, and I scooted over to one side of the bed to allow him some room. It was a small twin bed, which fit us both, but just barely, because Derek made sure to keep a short distance between us. I, however, wasn't having any of that.

I scooted close to Derek, taking in his warmth.

"The second you're asleep, I'm leaving," Derek told me.

"I know," I mumbled out. "Now shut up and let me try to sleep. It shouldn't be hard. You're always brooding."

Derek snorted in amusement, but didn't say anything.

My heartbeat was slowing down, and before I fully succumbed to the darkness, I felt an arm circle around me. I snuggled in deeper, and though Derek said he wasn't right for me, I couldn't help but feel that he was.

My eyes drooped and I blinked sleepily, before I shut them completely, giving in to the darkness.

* * *

**Daenerys86:** Thank you! Not bad for someone who's never kissed anyone before, huh? ;)  
**Britt:** Thank you!  
**Melanie:** Haha! So glad you are!  
**megladon1616:** Thank you!  
**MsRose91:** Thank you~  
**Guest:** Well, I've updated Saturday instead! ;)  
**goddess of the nigth:** Thank you x2!  
**PsychoticSmartypants:** Awww~ thank you! I was actually really nervous about that kiss scene. Derek and Sindy are more physical than my other characters, and since I have **no** (and I mean **no**) experience with guys myself, it's all my imagination. :P  
**Anne Marie97:** Thank you for telling me that! I've fixed it! It's because I wrote the previous chapter before writing the chapter that came before it. :P (I sometimes write out of order...)  
**Ayase Yuuki:** TH-AN-K YO-UUU. Awww. I don't think Derek loves her just yet, but we'll get there (eventually...)  
**She-WolfMoon:** Well, Derek was badly hurt before, so he doesn't wanna risk it. But don't worry. Our girl won't give up. ;)  
**Teresa (Guest):** Ugh. I hate Kate, too. I hope they kill Kate for good in _Teen Wolf_ (I'm a bad person). I'm sure the actress is lovely, but BLEGH. I don't like Kate!  
**suntan140:** Hahah~ no, she isn't. ;)

* * *

**A/N:** You guys are **fantastic**! Remember to drop a review, favorite, or follow! Hopefully if I get a very lovely amount of reviews again, I'll update faster! ;)


	9. Consume

**A/N:** I made a mental note to myself saying if I was able to get ten reviews in twenty-four hours, I'd update. I got eight. It's excellent enough, and I just wanted to post this, since this chapter goes hand-in-hand with the previous!

* * *

**MONDAY  
****JANUARY 31, 2011**

I could hear a light tapping against my bedroom door, before it slowly opened. I let out a soft groan, popping my head out of the warm cocoon I had built myself over the night.

"Sindy?" I heard Stiles ask, taking a seat on the side of my bed. "You going to school today? Dad said you could stay if you didn't feel like going."

"Yeah…" I mumbled out, sitting up. I rubbed my right eye sleepily. "Just gimme a half hour. Drive me today?"

"Sure," Stiles nodded his head. "Go get ready. Your hair's like a bird's nest," he teased, ruffling my hair and making it even messier.

I scowled, and tiredly slapped at my brother, who simply laughed and dodged. I threw my blankets back and made my bed before heading to the bathroom, bypassing Stiles.

Like I promised, within half an hour, I had taken my hair, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, and dressed for the day. I had chosen a pair of skinny jeans to compliment the simple, white spaghetti tank top and black knee-high boots I had thrown on. Looking around for a jacket to throw over, I frowned when I couldn't find a decent one.

My eyes fell onto the semi-heavy, black leather jacket that was folded on top of my desk. I walked over to it, the heels of my boots leaving soft, almost inaudible sounds. I unfolded the jacket and looked at it for a couple seconds before grabbing my phone and wallet, shoving them into the pockets.

I grabbed my bag for school, before I walked downstairs. Stiles was sitting at dining table, chewing on a bagel. "Oh, hey, I made you a bagel, too," he said, turning around to look at me. He then froze and asked, "... What do you have on...?"

I furrowed my brows, walking over to him and taking a seat next to him, grabbing the bagel he had prepared for me. "What do you mean?"

"That jacket," Stiles said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. He frowned. "Don't tell me…"

"It's Derek's," I confirmed.

Stiles blanched at that and looked like he wanted to throw up what he ate. "You two aren't… y'know…" he trailed off. "A couple, are you?"

I shook my head. "No," I replied. "But he's not a bad guy, Stiles."

"Tell that to me later," Stiles snorted, not buying it. He grabbed his keys, which were on the counter.

Not even bothering to change his mind, I simply followed after him, bag slung over my shoulder, locking the door behind me. We piled into his jeep, and he took off, heading to school.

It didn't take us long to arrive at school, and as I gathered my books, I couldn't help but notice the lack of Scott.

"Where is he?" I asked, looking around for the teen wolf.

Stiles shrugged. "Maybe running late? We'll see him in homeroom." We walked off, and I couldn't help but notice the lack of Lydia Martin, as well.

If Lydia was here, there was just a presence that _demanded_ for our attention. Stiles also had a pretty decent Lydia-detector, and since he wasn't jittery (more so than usual), then that meant Lydia wasn't here yet, either.

Stiles and I walked to our homeroom, our English class, and we sat there, talking to each other.

"You sure you okay, Sindy?" Stiles asked, looking at me. "I… I sort of heard you crying last night… I would've gone over, but… I- I didn't really know how to talk about… well, mutilated bodies…"

I frowned. I really didn't want him to know about that. Usually, Stiles would show up when he felt that I was down, but I was glad that he didn't last night. "It's fine," I assured him. "I feel better now. Just had to get it out of my system, y'know?"

Stiles nodded wearily, looking at me with sad, caramel-colored eyes. "I really am sorry."

"And it's _fine_, Stiles," I said, reaching forward. I patted the back of his clasped hands and was shocked to find how tense they were.

"Look," Stiles sighed out. "I know that you're supposed to be the responsible and mature one, but I _am_ your older brother. I just, don't act like it most of the time. Believe it or not, Sindy, it _is_ my job to protect you, it's like, an unwritten law for older brothers. You don't know how hard it was for me to just lie there in bed after walking past your door and hearing you bawl your eyes out.

"I don't do a great job of protecting you, honestly. I get you to ditch class, I get you in trouble with Dad, I drag you to find dead bodies, and now we're pulled into this _thing_ where _werewolves_ are _real_." Stiles sighed heavily, running a hand over his head. "I'm the world's crappiest older brother."

"Stiles Stilinski, don't make me bust out your real, full name," I threatened. "Yeah, you're probably not the best role model around, but to me, you're the best brother around. It's not _your_ fault the Alpha ripped out the guy's throat. It's not _your_ fault you have a huge curiosity that draws me to it. It's not _your_ fault that werewolves exist. Through this whole time, I think you've been doing a pretty damn good job at keeping me safe. Without you, I could be mauled to death by the Alpha by now."

Stiles was smiling throughout the beginning of my small lecture, but then it quickly morphed into a frown at the end of it. "I don't need that visual, and it's _not_ gonna happen."

"I love you, Stiles," I said.

That caused the smile to grow onto Stiles's face again and he replied, "I love you, too, Sindy. And, by the way, if you full-named me, I would've full-named you, too. And you don't want that, do you?"

I groaned, burying my face into my hands. Why did our parents have to give us such ridiculous names?

The bell chose at that moment to ring, so I turned back around in my seat.

English passed by fairly quickly, as after we got our essays back, which I had gotten an _A_ on, our teacher just gave a simple lecture on common mistakes that he saw and gave us pointers for the next one.

Honestly, now that I was brought into the world of the supernatural, it was pretty boring without any supernatural beings around.

I was walking around campus during my free period, when I felt a change in the air.

I whirled around, feeling the power that radiated and demanded my attention. My eyes met with Derek's and I blinked.

"Derek?" I asked dumbly. Well, _obviously_, it'd be him. Who else was tall, dark, and handsome and dressed from head to toe in black or dark colors? "Erm, Scott's not here."

"I'm not looking for Scott," Derek said, approaching me. He stopped a couple feet from me and looked down, meeting my eyes. His eyes scanned my face, looking for something, but I couldn't identify what. When he seemed like he was actually, _alright_, with whatever he found, he asked, "Where's Jackson?"

My eyebrows furrowed, as I tried to recall when was the last time I had seen the "big man on campus". I, of course, had seen him throughout the whole day, as he and I shared a majority of our classes.

"It's his free period…" I realized. "Uh, I didn't see him when I passed the lacrosse field or weight room, so he's probably in the locker room?" Derek nodded curtly, and began to walk away. I jogged after him. "Why do you need him?"

Derek glanced down at me briefly before angling his head to look forward. "You said the Alpha looked at the back of Jackson's neck before smelling you, right?" I nodded. "The day I was shot with the bullet, Jackson confronted me and he… _angered_ me. I whirled around and grabbed his neck, which you saw. I'm wondering if his wound healed."

"Oh," I realized. "Why wouldn't it heal, though? I mean, it's not like you bit him or anything."

"There was wolfsbane in my blood that day," Derek explained calmly. "That could be a plausible explanation, but I'm unsure." He opened the door to the locker room, and the steam immediately hit my face.

_Yup_. Jackson was in here. … And a bunch of other guys.

I moved to follow after Derek, who had strode in without a problem, but I was stopped.

"Hey, Sindy," one of the guys from the basketball team grinned, leaning casually. "McCall and your brother aren't here. Here for me?"

"Back off," Derek growled, suddenly appearing once again.

"Whoa, man, chill," the guy said, holding his hands up defensively. "I didn't know she was taken." He shot me a wary look. Before I could protest, he left the locker room, adjusting the backpack on his shoulder.

"I could've handled it," I said, frowning. Contrary to how I acted last night, I _wasn't_ a damsel in distress.

"Whatever," Derek scoffed. I watched from the sidelines as Jackson's back was to us, and Derek was waiting for the lacrosse captain to notice him.

When Jackson turned around, he suddenly jumped back in shock. "I – I don't know where Scott is," he said immediately.

"I'm not here for Scott," Derek shot down. "I'm here for you." Derek approached Jackson in confident, intimidating steps.

"Wh – wh – why me?" Jackson stuttered nervously. "I – I didn't do anything."

"No, but you saw something, didn't you?" He looked knowingly at the lacrosse player.

"No!" Jackson exclaimed, an almost-deranged look in his eyes. "I didn't… I didn't see anything."

"What was it, _hm_?" Derek's eyebrows shot up. "An animal? A mountain lion?" He asked the questions that he obviously knew the answers to, but I could tell he was testing Jackson.

"I didn't see anything," Jackson shook his head earnestly. "I swear. I'm not lying."

"Then calm down and say it again," Derek dared, inches away from the boy.

"Say what? That I'm not lying?"

"Tell me that you didn't see anything, _slowly_."

Jackson took a shaky breath before stating, "I didn't see _anything_. I'm not lying."

I watched as Derek's face morph into concentration as he focused on what was most likely listening to Jackson's heartbeat. He seemed to accept the boy's answer, before grabbing Jackson's head. "One more thing…" he angled the head to give himself a better view. "You should really get that checked out."

Derek whirled around and his eyes fell on me. It was then Jackson noticed my presence, too. He glowered at me, but I wasn't deterred. After all, I was in the company of Derek Hale these past few weeks.

"Let's go," Derek said, nodding his head to the door. "What other classes do you still have?"

"Econ and French," I reported.

"Ditch them," Derek said. "Text your idiot brother that you're going home." I frowned at the usage of him calling Stiles an idiot. No one got to call him that but me. "If it displeases you so much, tell him to stop being so antagonistic towards me."

"You aren't exactly buddy-buddy with Scott and him, either," I pointed out before shooting a quick text to Stiles. I chose to tell him the truth, though.

**Sindy Stilinski:**_** Just checked on Jackson with Derek. Gonna leave with him, too. You check up on Lydia later.**_

A few seconds later, my phone vibrated as I stepped out of the locker room.

**Stiles Stilinski:**_** FINE. Don't get killed, or I swear I'll find a way to bring you back to life and kill you again and say, "I told you so!"**_

**Sindy Stilinski:**_**Yeah, yeah. Gotcha.**_

**Stiles Stilinski:**_** I'm serious. Be careful.**_

**Sindy Stilinski:**_**I will. Relax. Bye, Stiles.**_

**Stiles Stilinski:**_** Later.**_

I locked my phone, sliding it back into the depths of Derek's jacket. I followed him outside the school, and we walked over to his black Camaro.

I slid into the passenger seat, and Derek got into the driver's side. He started the car, and drove off, to where, I wasn't sure.

"If you knew why the Alpha was checking out Jackson's neck, then… why did his sniff me?" I asked, looking at Derek's profile.

His eyes didn't break from the road, and he answered, "You've been in my presence a lot, lately."

I frowned, not understanding. Then I remembered reading something about werewolves and their scents. "So… I smell like you?"

Derek's eyes darted to meet mine in a split second before going back to the road. "Yes," he replied curtly.

"But I thought that only happened with mates or something," I said.

"Scents rub off, regardless," Derek replied. "Mates have a different scent. Right now, you faintly smell like me, but if I ever mated with you, your scent would be synonymous with my own. In short, mates share one scent, and it's a strong, permeating one that's meant to ward off other wolves. If I went off and met another female and she was mated, any form of physical desire for her would throw me off and force me to only think about her at most, platonically."

"I… sort of get it," I said. "And if you meet an unmated female, you have the potential to feel anything for her, right? And how does scent affect your feelings?"

"That's right," Derek replied to my first question. "And it's like how you can be friends with someone who wears a lot of cologne, but you don't want to spend too much time with them."

"… Oh," I said. "That's a really good comparison."

Derek nodded and made a turn, heading into a drive thru. He lowered the window, and stopped at the menu. The worked gave a typical greeting, before asking what Derek wanted.

"Give me two bacon burgers and two large curly fries."

"_Would you like anything to drink, sir?"_

Derek turned to me. "What do you like to drink?"

I blinked. "You don't have to get me anything."

"Just tell me what you like to drink," the werewolf looked pointedly at me.

"Erm… Coke," I replied.

"And two large Cokes," he ordered.

"_Will that be all?"_

"Yes."

"_Your total will be $8.51. Please pull up and pay in the next window."_

Derek did as he was told, and the window slid open. The worker repeated the price and Derek gave the exact amount, having had two quarters and a penny in a little slot between the cup holders.

"Would you like the receipt?"

"No."

The worker handed over the bag, and Derek passed me the paper bag. The delicious smell filled my nostrils and my stomach growled. The older man looked at me pointedly and I blushed, hiding my face behind my hair.

He placed the drinks into the cup holders. I looked down into the bag, and looked earnestly, hoping that one of them was for me.

"It is," Derek answered, like he was able to read my thoughts.

"You didn't have to," I mumbled, though my growling stomach said something else. Derek smirked, but said nothing else. I decided to dig into the bag, pulling out a curly fry. I looked at him and asked, "Do you have a no-eating policy in your car?"

"There is, but you can eat," Derek told me, "Besides, you didn't get your bacon burger and curly fries last night." He made another turn down the road. I realized that we were in the woods, and most likely heading to his house.

I smiled and ate the curly fry, letting out a soft sound of happiness as the delicious, unhealthy fried potato hit my taste buds. I munched on a couple more fries, before I realized that Derek hadn't eaten anything, since I was all but hogging the bag.

I pulled out a medium-sized curly fry, and held it up in Derek's direction. "Here," I said.

"I can eat it later," Derek replied.

"C'mon," I said. "I hate it when Stiles eats in my car and doesn't share. It's the most annoying thing ever, so I make him feed me."

"No."

"Yes."

"_No_."

"_Yes_. I'm not gonna stop, Derek." The werewolf shot me a pointed look, before moving to grab the fry. I pulled my hand away. "Nuh-uh. Grease on the wheel _sucks_. I'm feeding you. Now, say _ahh_."

"I'm not going to say that."

"Then at least open your mouth."

I could see the man roll his eyes, before dropping his jaw. I beamed with pride and moved to slip the fry into his mouth, when his neck moved and he wrapped his lips around to grab the fry _and_ the tips of my fingers.

The blood rushed to my face as I felt the fry be taken from my fingertips, before a warm, wet appendage made contact with them, licking it roughly.

I quickly pulled my hand back, and saw the self-satisfied smirk on Derek's face. He chewed the fry and even said, "The fry's a lot tastier than usual…"

My heartbeat accelerated and I ducked my head behind my hair, gripping the sides of the paper bag tightly, making it wrinkle and the sound echo in the now-quiet car.

The rest of the drive was silent, and I didn't dare to eat another curly fry until we were in his house. When Derek pulled up to his driveway, he simply turned off his engine, popped open his door, and took our drinks.

I opened my own door, and followed him into his house, taking the bag with me. He led me down the hallway and into a large room that held a table and a couple chairs. The chairs were new, indicating that he bought them recently, and the table was slightly burned, but still in good condition.

I placed the bag on the table, and Derek reached in to pull out his burger and curly fries. I sat down and we began eating in silence, which normally would most likely be uncomfortable, but right now? It made me feel at ease.

Just as I was finishing the last of my fries, a ring echoed through the room, startling me. I realized it was my phone and hastily dug into Derek's jacket pocket, pulling it out.

It was my brother.

I furrowed my brows and picked up, "Hello?"

"_Sindy!"_ Stiles yelped. _"You'll never believe what I just found!"_

I blinked. "What is it?"

"_So I went to check on Lydia, like you said, and she's _out_ of it. Like, _out_ of it. But anyway, that's not the point. Her phone rang and then I tried to pick it up, but then I found something. A video. She was talking a few selfies outside the video store, and she ended up recording this... I'm sending you the video right now, okay?"_

"Sure," I replied. I pulled my phone away just as it _pinged_ with a file. I pulled it open and jumped when I saw the large, wolf-like creature with blazing red eyes charging. "Oh my God," I said into the phone.

"_Yeah,"_ Stiles answered_. "I'm trying to call Scott, but he's not picking up his damn phone. Talk to you later, okay?"_

"M'kay," I said. "Bye, Stiles."

"_Bye, Sindy."_

I hung up and let out a heavy sigh.

"What was it?" Derek asked from the other side of the table. I looked up at him curiously. "Your heart rate picked up."

I found the file and slid my phone over to the werewolf. He took it and played the video. I watched as his face go from impassive to angry in a split second. He placed the phone down after typing in a few commands, undoubtedly sending it to himself.

He placed the phone back on the table and he said, "This is what you saw."

I nodded. "Is… is that the Alpha?"

"It was," Derek confirmed. "Alphas have red eyes." He stood up abruptly and stalked away. I could hear some shuffling around down the hall and decided to clean up before joining him.

After I finished the last of my fries and threw everything away in a nearby trash can. I stepped out into the hallway, almost tripping over my feet when I was the sight that graced my presence: Derek.

But that wasn't the thing that stopped me.

It was of Derek _shirtless_. His back was to me, displaying the triskele tattoo that I had seen in the animal clinic and the other day. He was doing them at a rapid pace, burning off all his energy.

He suddenly dropped to the floor, doing multiple push-ups in a span of a few seconds. He even did one handed push-ups and I held back the small sound that was caught on my throat when I saw his back muscles contort with each movement.

Just as sudden as he dropped to the floor, he froze. He got back onto his feet quickly and looked at me. He ordered, "Get upstairs, now."

I didn't hesitate to run up the stairs, trusting him completely. I hid behind the wall of the hallway just as the front door was kicked open roughly. I cringed, gripping the jacket tightly.

"No one home," I heard a male voice say.

"Oh, he's here," a rough, female voice said. "He's just not feeling particularly hospitable."

"Maybe he's out, burying a bone in the backyard," another male voice said.

"_Really_?" the female scoffed. "A dog joke? We're going there and _that_'s the best you got? If you wanna provoke him, say something like… too bad your sister _bit it_ before she had her first litter."

I clenched my fists tightly. I didn't even _know_ Derek's sister, but felt that she didn't deserve this disrespect this woman was giving.

"Too bad she _howled_ like a _bitch_ when we _**cut her in half**_!" the woman yelled.

A deafening growl/roar echoed through the house, but it filled me with relief, even if it was supposed to terrify.

I heard a yell and then a _thud_, and knew Derek had just thrown one of the hunters across the room. I peeked out from the side just in time to see Derek against the wall, growling at the hunters, who were on the other side, in the (once a) game room.

Derek launched himself over the railings of the stairs and into the room, and I could hear another thud. Another growl sounded and then a _thud_.

Against my smart judgment, I slowly took steps down the stairs.

"_Wow_," the woman's voice said. "This one grew up in all the right places. I don't know whether to kill it or… lick it."

I peered behind the wall just as I saw Derek try to attack a light brunette woman, who laughed and stabbed him with something.

"Nine-hundred _thousand_ volts," she chuckled, looking at her weapon. "You never were good with electricity, were you? Or fire. Which is why I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. And, well, maybe we can help each other out." She sat down smugly and Derek was still on the ground, refusing to meet her gaze as the aftershocks still ran through his veins.

"Yes, your sister was severed into pieces and used as bait to try to catch you. Unpleasant, and frankly, a little too… _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ for my taste, but quite true. Now, here's the part that might really kill you in your new balls – We didn't kill her. You think I'm lying?"

"Wouldn't be the first time," Derek snarked back, leaning against a wall, glowering at her.

"_Tsk_, sweetie," the woman clicked her tongue. "Well…" she approached Derek, "why don't you listen to my heart and tell me if I am. Okay? We… Didn't… Kill… Your… Sister… Do you hear that? There's no blips or upticks. Just the steady beat of the cold, hard truth."

She stood back up and looked down at Derek. "We found bite marks on your sister's body, Derek. What do you think did that? A mountain lion? Why aren't we helping each other out? You might as well admit what you've been guessing all along, which is, the Alpha killed your sister. And all you have to do is tell us who he is, and we'll take care of it for you. Problem solved, everybody goes home happy." Then she realized something. I hid before she could see me. "Unless… you don't know who he is either. Wow. Guess who just became totally useless?"

Derek suddenly shot up, grabbing me as he ran off, leading us into the woods. I could hear the bullets ricocheting off the walls after us, and when he realized the hunters weren't chasing after us, he stopped.

He glowered at the house, and I saw his fists clenched tightly.

"… Derek…?" I asked softly. He looked down at me, his eyes clouded in anger. "Was that… was that… the woman…?"

"Kate Argent," Derek growled. "The woman I so stupidly believed I loved."

I frowned, reaching forward, but was hurt to see him pull back, taking a step away from me.

"Derek…?"

He closed his eyes, moving his head to look up at the sky before taking a deep breath. He angled his head back down at me, and he looked at me with an unreadable expression.

"Derek, talk to me."

Still nothing.

I sighed heavily. "Is this the part where you tell me to stay away? Because you can't afford and can't give me anything? _Hm_? Should I walk away now, before I end up getting hurt, because you're so emotionally withdrawn that you can't bear to let anyone in ever again?"

My heart tugged, and I placed a hand over it, gripping my chest tightly to stop the pain that was searing through my body.

"I…" Derek started. "I can't stay away from you," he said. "I don't know why, but I'm _drawn_ to you. I can't give you anything, which is true, but you, like the naïve little sixteen-year-old girl you are, trust me so whole-heartedly."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"You're so innocent, so untainted," Derek said, taking a step towards me. I backed up instinctively. "You don't know pain like I do." Another step. "You don't know what it's like to be completely betrayed by someone you thought you loved." Another step.

I found myself backed up against a large tree, and Derek pinned his hands on either side of my head onto the trunk.

"Did you know that wolves like me eat squirrels like you?" he asked, his voice a centimeter away from my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

My eyes widened in shock, as a dark smirk graced his features. It sent a shiver – a good one – down my spine.

"That's right, little squirrel," he said, his lips a hair away from mine. "You try to run, I'll hunt you down, capture you, and consume every little bit of you. Just… like… this."

Without warning, he slammed his lips against mine so powerfully it actually hurt, but I relished in it.

If this was how it was going to be, I'll let him consume every bit of me.

* * *

**She-WolfMoon:** Is that a good review or a bad one? LOL. Have I left you speechless with my awesomenes? LOL. JK. I suck. :P  
**Daenerys86:** Thank you! And I actually finished writing those chapters last night. :)  
**peace486:** Thank you! :)  
**Britt:** It's from years of being repressed. *sigh* LOL. It's okay. My ex-boyfriend was just so shy and awkward we didn't do anything~ lol We just had little talks. :)  
**megladon1616:** Hah! They'll get together eventually, but for now, they're content with just they way they are. :3  
**MsRose91:** I love the two together, too! Derek _will_ get over it eventually, since our little squirrel's breaking down his walls. ;)  
**Ayase Yuuki:** Awww. Hahah. Awkward situations? That's a lot of pressure. LOL. I just write as I go, so there's really no future planning for me. (I'm such a bad person...)  
**EliseBCervantes:** Aww! Thank you! :) I... kind of do? Thank you! I'm hoping that's the way their relationship progresses!

* * *

**A/N:** I just realized that most of you guys are new readers to my works, so you probably don't know I have a **Facebook** and an **Ask** page. :o You can feel free to post and ask questions on either of those pages, and I will respond! **I even give previews if you ask.** ;) So like the page and ask a question! :o Drop a review! The more reviews I get, the sooner I update! *hearts*


	10. Anchor

**A/N: ****PLEASE READ THE VERY IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE END.** Enjoy~ :)

* * *

**WEDNESDAY  
****FEBRUARY 2, 2011**

I sat in Econ class, totally bored out of my mind.

I was sitting right behind Stiles, since there were very few seats left when I got to class. Stiles, unfortunately, lost the seat behind Scott to Allison, so he was sitting diagonally behind Scott.

"I'm surprised Allison hasn't noticed he's avoiding her," I mused, leaning forward to talk to my brother. "Do you really think it's best that it's like this, though?"

Scott had informed us that because he couldn't protect our dad Monday night, he went to Derek for help to control his strength. That, however, wasn't a good enough answer for Stiles, so Stiles stole Finstock's heart monitor, and during our free period, he took Scott out to monitor his status.

I wasn't there myself, but I heard the results weren't that happy…

"We've gotta keep his pulse from rising," Stiles said, leaning back, but still looking straight ahead. "And Allison makes his pulse accelerate."

"I-I just don't wanna bring your grade down," I heard Scott say.

"Well, maybe I could bring your grade up," Allison replied.

Stiles heaved out a small sigh, and I could tell he was just rolling his eyes. I heard Allison come up with a date with Scott at 8:30 tonight, but before Scott could reply, Finstock slammed a book down on his desk.

"Let's start with a quick summary of last night's reading," he announced. Immediately, Greenberg's hand shot up. "Greenberg, put your hand down, everybody knows you did the reading." He looked around before saying, "How about… McCall?"

Scott looked up. "What?"

"The reading," Finstock said.

"Last night's reading?"

Oh God. He didn't read last night. I groaned softly, draping myself over the desk. Stiles echoed my quiet call of hopelessness.

"How about the reading of the Gettysburg Address?" Finstock questioned dryly, causing some students to laugh.

I didn't have to look at Scott to know he was confused. "What?"

"That's sarcasm," Finstock told him. "You familiar with the term 'sarcasm', McCall?"

Scott looked back to Stiles. "Very."

"Aw, _shucks_," Stiles said softly, tossing me a grin. I smiled back in return.

"Did you do the reading or not?" Finstock demanded.

"Uh – I think I forgot," Scott replied.

"Nice work, McCall!" Finstock exclaimed. "It's not like you're averaging a _D_ in this class." He leaned forward to talk to Scott, "Come on, buddy. You know I can't keep you on the team if you have a D. How about you summarize, uh, the previous night's reading?" Scott shook his head. "No? How about the night before that? How about you summarize anything you've ever read – in your entire life?"

Throughout the entire questioning, I could hear the soft beeping of the heart monitor from the phone Stiles took. I leaned forward, glancing at it. It was rapidly increasing, from 99 beats per minute to 145 and growing as Finstock continued to be on his back.

"No? A blog? How about – how about – how about the back of a cereal box? No? How about the _Adults Only_ warning from your favorite website you visit every night? Anything?"

I glanced down at the monitor worriedly. This was _not good_.

"Thank you, McCall, thank you. _Thank you, McCall_!" Finstock pounded on his desk. "_Thank you_ for extinguishing _any_. _Last. __**Flicker**_ of hope I have for your generation! You just blew it for everybody. Thanks. Next practice, you can start with suicide runs. Unless that's too much reading."

I perked up when I noticed something strange. Scott's heartbeat suddenly went from 163 and started to steadily decline. I looked at Scott to see what had changed.

Nothing looked particularly different, until my eyes dropped. To the side of the desks, Allison's hand was holding Scott's comfortingly, assuring that it was alright.

I slapped Stiles's back, making him jump a bit. "Look down there," I hissed quietly, hoping he'd see the entwined hands.

"It's her…" Stiles said quietly. I nodded, even though he couldn't see.

For the rest of the period, Finstock didn't call on Scott, and Stiles was completely antsy, eager to tell Scott the news.

When the bell rang to signal class had ended, I jumped up, gathering my stuff. I had some questions to ask.

"It's her," Stiles declared as we left the room.

Scott looked around curiously. "What do you mean?"

"It's Allison," I supplied, walking next to him. "Remember what you told us about the night of the full moon? You were thinking about protecting her, right?"

"Yeah… okay…" Scott said, nodding slowly.

"Remember the night of the first lacrosse game?" Stiles added. "You said you could hear her voice out on the field."

"Yeah, I did," Scott immediately got into defensive mode.

Stiles went on to explain how Allison kept him sane, "And then, after the game in the locker room, you didn't try to kill her. At least, not like how you were trying to kill Sindy and me. She brings you back, is what I'm saying."

"No, no, no," Scott denied. "But it's not always true, because literally, every time I'm kissing her or touching her–"

"No, that's when you're just acting like another normal, hormonal teenaged guy," I interrupted.

"Yeah, you're just thinking about sex," Stiles agreed. Scott then got this stupid grin on his face. I face-palmed myself while Stiles deadpanned, "You're thinking about sex right now, aren't you?"

Scott had the gull to just continue smiling and admitted, "Yeah. Sorry."

I rolled my eyes. "It's okay. I grew up with you guys. Anyway, back in the classroom, she was holding your hand. That was made the difference. She doesn't make you weak, Scott, she gives you control."

"You mean, because I love her," Scott said.

"Exactly," Stiles and I nodded.

Scott looked blank for a second, like he just realized something. "Did I just say that?"

Stiles and I exchanged looks. "Yes. Yes, you did just say that," we told him.

"I love her." Scott got this goofy grin on his face. It made me want to smack him for being so dense but hug him because he was so cute: like a puppy in love.

Stiles, on the other hand, said, "That's great. Now, moving on–"

"No, no, no," Scott shook his head. "Really. I think I'm totally in love with her."

"And that's…" Stiles searched for the right word, "beautiful. Now, before you go off and write a sonnet, can we figure this out, please? Because you obviously can't be around her all the time."

"Yeah, sorry," Scott said. "So, what do I do?"

"I don't know…" Stiles shook his head. "Yet," he added as an afterthought. Of course. Stiles _always_ came up with an idea eventually.

Stiles looked blank for a second, staring off into space.

"Oh, no," Scott recognized the look on my brother's face. "You're getting an idea, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Stiles nodded.

"Is this idea gonna get me in trouble?"

"Maybe."

"Is this idea gonna cause me physical pain?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. Come on." He patted Scott's arm before walking off. Scott sighed heavily, trekking after his best friend.

The two started walking away, and it took them a couple seconds before they realized I wasn't following them. "Sindy?" Stiles asked, turning around. "You coming?"

"Uh… nah," I shook my head. "I'm gonna… do some more research."

Stiles and Scott exchanged looks. Oh, I knew those looks. Stiles frowned. "You're going to _him_ again, aren't you?"

"I'm trying to find methods that _don't_ involve Scott being physically harmed," I quipped. I spun my heel around and began to walk away, shoes moving smoothly over the tiles.

I climbed into my car, turning on the engine. I took off from school, heading straight for the Hale house.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up to the burnt house. The house no longer gave me chills. Instead, I felt like this was the one place I could relax and get away from everything.

I opened the front door, glancing around at the dusty floorboards. "Derek?" I called. "You home?"

"Don't you know to knock?" came my reply. My eyes followed to where the voice came from. Standing at the top of the stairs, clad in his dark clothing, this time with a navy Henley, was Derek Hale, werewolf extraordinaire.

"I do, but I figured you wouldn't answer anyway, so I just let myself in," I responded, walking up the stairs.

Derek looked at me blankly. "What do you want?"

"I have some questions regarding control," I said, leaning against the old railing. It was sturdy enough, and if I fell, Derek would catch me… hopefully.

"What are you and that idiot trying to do to Scott?" Derek asked.

"Is there anything about someone else giving the werewolf control?" I chose not to answer his question, wanting my answers first.

"What do you mean?"

"Can you stop answering my questions with questions?" I sighed. "I mean, today in class, Scott's heart rate – we, and by '_we_', I mean Stiles, stole the coach's heart monitor to check up on Scott's heart rate – was spiking up because the coach was being a jerk again. We thought Scott was going to change, because he wasn't calming down, but then Scott's heart rate began to slow down. I looked down and saw that Allison's hand was holding his, so I was wondering if there was any way someone _else_ could _give_ that person control over their wolf."

"Sounds like he's found an anchor," Derek replied, leaning against the wall across from me. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"What's an anchor?" I asked.

"An anchor is something – something meaningful to us – that we bind ourselves to in order to keep ourselves in control. To keep our human side in control," Derek explained. "Allison is Scott's anchor."

If that was the case, then Derek _had_ to have an anchor. He was always so in control. "Who's _your_ anchor?" I inquired, almost scared to know the answer. As selfish as it was, especially since there was _nothing_ between Derek and I, I didn't want another female being Derek's anchor.

"Anger," he told me. "It isn't always a physical being that is one's anchor." I mentally let out a sigh of relief. He must've heard the change in my heartbeat, because he quirked an eyebrow at me. "Can't handle the competition?"

I don't know what came over me, but I boldly pushed myself off the railing, walking straight towards Derek. "Hm… an alleged murderer and confirmed werewolf… Girls must be _lining_ up for you," I commented, running a finger against his chest. I could feel the lines of his muscles perfectly and they contracted under my touch.

Before I could tease him any further, he suddenly grabbed me, spinning me around so quickly so I was pinned against the wall. The wind was all but knocked out of me, but he caught the gasp with his mouth, blocking me between the wall and him. I stood on my toes, throwing my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me.

He released my mouth and I gasped, taking in a much needed gulp of air. He nudged his face between my neck and I angled it to the side, allowing him to gain access to the area. I heard him inhale deeply, taking in my scent, before something wet and warm coat a spot on my neck.

My heart beat spiked and I felt his grip on my waist tighten, but not quite enough to hurt me. His thumb, calloused yet soft, rubbed against the skin that was exposed from where my shirt bunched up.

I angled my head against, going straight for his lips.

When air became a necessity, we both pulled away again. I gasped for breath heavily, my heart going a thousand beats per second.

"There…" I sighed out, trying to regain the oxygen in my brain. "There is no competition," I concluded.

Derek smirked, before leaning down. He rested his head on my shoulder, inhaling deeply once more before pulling back.

His eyes then hardened and he said, "Come with me."

Curious, I walked off, heading outside with him. "Where are we going?"

"To visit my uncle," he told me. "I need to talk to him about something."

"Wait!" I exclaimed, making Derek turn back to look at me. When he prompted for me to continue, I asked, "Do you think we could stop by my house? So I can drop off my car first?"

Without a word, Derek got into his car, turning on the engine. I took that as a yes, so I climbed into my own car, driving off to my house first.

Derek's car followed closely behind me the entire time, and when I got home, I noticed Stiles wasn't home yet. It made me wonder just what the hell those two guys were up to.

I threw my car keys in my bag, not bothering to put them away before walking over to Derek's Camaro. I slid into the passenger seat, and once I had my seatbelt on, he took off.

He parked in front of the hospital, and led the way to his uncle's room in the burned ward. I didn't really know what he was doing, so I just kept following him.

Once we got to Peter's room, he sat down in front of his uncle, swiveling him so the two could look at each other. I stood awkwardly at the entrance, not really sure what to do.

"I need your help," Derek said to his comatose uncle. "If you can hear me, I need you to give me a sign. Blink. Raise a finger. Anything. Just… just something to point me in the right direction, okay?"

It looked like it was difficult for Derek to speak, but he continued to do so. "Someone killed Laura, your niece. Laura? Whoever he is, he's an Alpha now. But he's one without a pack, which means he's not as strong. I can take him, but I have to find him first. Look, if you know something, just give me a sign. Is it one of us? Someone else make it out of the fire? Just give me anything. Blink. Raise a finger. Anything. _Say something_!"

Derek's temper ran short and he grabbed his uncle tightly.

"Let him go!" I heard someone exclaim, and I practically jumped a mile. I swiveled around to see a nurse standing behind me. "You think after six years of this, yelling at him is going to get a response?"

"Got a better method?" Derek challenged.

"Patience," the nurse said. "He'll respond if you give him the time."

Derek glanced at me before telling the nurse, "I don't have any more time." He stormed out of the room so quickly I felt the wind hit me.

"Derek!" I exclaimed, running after him. "Derek!"

"What?!" Derek snapped, whirling around once we were outside.

"I- I just wanted you to wait up…" I said.

Derek sighed heavily, before walking to his car. He climbed into the driver's seat and I got into the passenger's. Derek started the car and drove off, this time, to a destination I wasn't sure of.

"The… the fire," I said cautiously.

"What about it?" Derek snapped.

"Y- you said the Argents started it… but… how? How'd they find out about you?" I asked. "Allison's dad didn't attack you that night at the gas station, but… but he knew who you were. How?"

Derek looked at me from the corner of his eyes for a second before saying, "Because of me."

"Wh- what do you mean by that? Did you shift in front of them or something?"

"Or something," Derek said bitterly. "I was stupid. A complete idiot. Now that I think about it, all of the signs were there." I waited quietly, not sure if he was going to elaborate. "Six years ago, the house was set on fire, and it was all my fault. I was stupid and young, but those were no excuses."

I saw him grip the steering wheel tightly, and I was afraid he might break it. Just as I was fearing that, his grip loosened and he sighed, frustrated. "She was beautiful, sexy, and older," he told me. "At least, that's what I thought six years ago. Now I see nothing more than a disgusting, ugly, lying piece of bitchery. But I was seventeen years old, and I just thought that this sexy, older woman wanted _me_. All the signs were there. She always asked me about my family, wanting to know more about them than actually me. Then, one day, when I was in school with my sister, I get called out of class. My house was on fire… ten people died, and the eleventh one was left severely burnt and comatose."

I began to slowly piece who he was referring to. "Was it Kate Argent?" Derek didn't verbally reply, but the clench of his jaw confirmed it. "Didn't like her anyway," I mumbled. She didn't exactly give me positive vibes when I went to Allison's house the other day. Derek snorted. Then I realized something, "It's a good thing I'm younger than you, huh?" That got the reaction I wanted.

Derek smirked. "Guess so."

The sun had fully set by the time we arrived at our destination.

"The animal clinic?" I inquired curiously, peering up at Derek.

"Stay in the car," he ordered me. He opened his door and slammed it shut, walking into the clinic. I sighed heavily, leaning back in the smooth leather seats.

I don't know how long I was there, but I suddenly froze when I noticed a figure arriving on a bike. I popped open the car door and exclaimed, "Scott!"

"Sindy?" he looked at me, confused. "What are you doing here?" He noticed the car and his eyes narrowed. "Where's Derek?"

"In the –" I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence, because Scott stormed into the clinic, leaving me alone outside.

Not liking that _both_ werewolves left me alone, I went inside the clinic just in time to hear Scott yell, "Stop! Stop!"

I went to the back to hear Derek explain, "When he's conscious, he can keep himself from healing, but unconscious, he can't."

"A-are you out of your mind?!" Scott yelled. "What are you talking about?"

"You want to know what the spiral means, Scott? It's our sign for vendetta, for revenge. It means he won't stop killing until he's satisfied."

"Wai-wai-wait!" I interrupted, entering the room. Both werewolves snapped at attention to me. "You think _he's_ the Alpha?" I gestured to the unconscious Deaton.

"We're about to find out," Derek said. Then he glared at me, "Didn't I tell you to stay in the car?"

"I don't take orders without explanations well," I responded, crossing my arms, showing that I wasn't going to budge.

Derek let out an annoyed sigh before going to punch Deaton again. His arm, however, was stopped by Scott, now transformed. He let out a menacing growl, which caused Derek to back away, but just in shock.

I instinctively did, as well, because Scott just transformed willingly. Was his control getting better? I watched as he slowly transformed back before he threatened, "Hit him again, and you'll see me get angry."

"Um… since we're not entirely sure Deaton's the Alpha, yet, should we… take care of his wounds?" I asked, walking closer to the guys.

"Wh- oh, yeah, yeah," Scott nodded. "Lemme go get the first aid kit." He glared at Derek saying, "If you touch _any_ of them…"

"Relax," Derek scoffed. "I won't."

"The second there's trouble," Scott ignored Derek, turning to me, "you _run_, got that?"

"He's not gonna hurt me, Scott. I think if he could've, he would've already," I rolled my eyes. "Just go get the kit." Scott narrowed his eyes at Derek for a few more seconds before stalking off.

I spotted a piece of paper on the floor and bent down to pick it up. It was a picture of a dead deer with a spiral, similar to how Scott drew what the Alpha did on his window, on its side.

"What is this…?" I asked Derek.

"My sister came to Beacon Hills after stumbling across that picture," Derek told me. "When she hadn't contacted me in weeks, I knew something was wrong, so I came back here… only to find her upper half. She was killed by the Alpha, and I wanna know who it is so I can kill him myself."

Before I could reply, Scott walked back in. He made a small sigh of relief when he realized Derek hadn't harmed us and proceeded to clean up Deaton's cups.

"Do you have a plan?" Derek asked, approaching Scott.

"Just give me an hour," Scott said.

"Then what?" Derek pushed.

"Meet me at the school," Scott told him, "in the parking lot." He spared a glance at me and said, "You go with him. I need someone I can trust."

I mock-saluted Scott. We waited for him to finish taking care of Deaton before he left. Before he left, though, Scott gave Derek a glare before biking off, most likely to Stiles's house.

Derek slung the unconscious Deaton over his shoulder. He handed me the keys to his car and said, "Pop open the front seat. We're putting him in the back."

I nodded, taking the keys before unlocking the car. I pushed the passenger seat back, and watched as Derek all but threw him into the backseat.

I winced. That did _not_ sound comfortable. "If I'm ever tied up and knocked unconscious, are you going to do that to me, too?" Derek gave me a pointed look. "What? It's just a question. I'm already hanging out with werewolves, it's only a matter of time."

"Don't jinx yourself," Derek murmured quietly before taking the keys from my hand. I slid the seat back in its place before sitting down.

Even though the meeting time was an hour, Derek arrived at the school in half an hour, after we stopped by to get a quick dinner break.

Stiles and Scott were already there and when I exited the car, Stiles went over to me and hugged me. "Oh, my God, are you okay? He didn't do anything to you, did he? I swear, if he did, just say the word and I'll–"

"Relax, she's fine," Derek interrupted him. "And I don't think you're in a position to be making threats towards me."

"Where's my boss?" Scott demanded.

"He's in the back," Derek informed.

Stiles peered into the back window, focusing to look through the tinted lens. "Oh… well… he looks… _comfortable_."

Scott nudged Stiles and the boys turned to walk into the school. "What are you two planning?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Derek said I was linked with the Alpha," Scott said simply. "I'm gonna see if he's right. Stay with him."

"It's not like I have a choice, now do I?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

"Nope," Scott responded, pushing open the school doors with Stiles. _Right_. Werewolf hearing.

I leaned against Derek's sleek car, unsure of what to do. I looked up at Derek through my lashes and saw him staring at me. I felt my heart skip a beat and a heat rise to my cheeks. "What?" I consciously reached for my face. Did I have some sauce from my burger on my face?

Derek simply walked to me, trapping me between him and his car. He reached up, his right palm resting on my cheek. I leaned into his touch, feeling his slightly calloused skin against my smooth. He leaned down, kissing me not softly, but not rough like we usually did either. It was… different.

His hand snaked to my nape, grabbing it not too tightly, but enough so he could control my actions.

I let him dominate me, allowing him to move my neck to the side, exposing the flesh to him. He growled softly at my submission and trailed down my jaw. I could feel his fangs were elongated, but just as soon as I felt them, they retracted so they were back to normal.

I caught his lips again, and just as my tongue was about to enter his mouth, a horrible, screeching sound came from the intercom, echoing through the entire expanse.

Derek broke away and let out an annoyed scoff, closing his eyes in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."

I couldn't help but feel the laugh bubble in my chest. "W-was that…?" I choked out, unable to hold my laughter.

"Scott's howl? Yeah," Derek nodded reluctantly, sighing heavily when the last of Scott's "howl" struggled out for another second.

The laughter escaped my lips and if it weren't for Derek being pressed against me, I would've crouched down on the ground, unable to hold myself.

Just then, a spine-chilling growl echoed through the school and my laughter abruptly stopped. I jumped in shock and instinctively grabbed onto Derek's jacket. It was so terrifying I could feel it shake the entire school.

Derek grabbed me, pulling me to his chest, his body tense. When the growl ended, I looked up at Derek, wide-eyed. "R-remind me not to piss off both of you…" I said quietly.

"You're not supposed to piss off a werewolf, _period_," Derek retorted, letting me go.

The doors opened again and Stiles and Scott came walking out, grinning at each other. Derek whirled around, threatening, "I'm gonna kill _both_ of you! What the hell was that?!" He turned to Scott, scolding, "What are you trying to do, attract the entire state to the school?"

"Sorry, I didn't know it'd be that loud," Scott shrugged.

I walked over to where Stiles was, slapping him over the head. "Ow!" Stiles exclaimed, holding his head. "C'mon, it was loud and it was _awesome_, Sindy!"

"It scared the _crap_ out of me is what it was!" I retorted.

"Hey," Stiles recognized something, looking down at me curiously. "Why's your hair messed up? It wasn't like this earlier…" He reached up, touching my hair. "It's almost like…" He grabbed the back of my neck softly, angling me similar to how Derek did earlier, except he didn't lean in… which is good, because he's my brother.

His face blanched in disgust. "Oh, oh, _oh_!" he exclaimed. "Oh my _God_!" he cried, pulling back like he was in shock. Stiles spun to Derek. "Really, Derek? _Really_? My _sister_?!" He groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Shut up," Derek responded.

"Wait, wait, what'd you do with him?" Scott suddenly said, looking at the car.

"What?" Derek asked, turning around to look into the car as well. "I didn't do anything," he said when he realized Deaton was gone.

Scott looked at me, asking for answers. I raised both my hands up in surrender. "He really didn't."

Out of nowhere, blood suddenly spurted from Derek's mouth and he was lifted up into the air. I backed up in shock as black blood began to pour out of his mouth, splashing on my shirt, causing a black stain, and I couldn't hold back the scream that escaped my lips.

"Derek!" I cried.

"Sindy! Sindy, let's go!" the boys grabbed my hands, but I couldn't move. Scott, taking matters into his own hands, scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulders.

I watched with horror as the Alpha threw Derek against the wall, and Derek fell to the ground, unmoving. "Derek!" I cried again, just as I was taken into the school.

Scott quickly put me down and he and Stiles held the door shut, effectively leaving the Alpha outside… with Derek.

* * *

**She-WolfMoon:** Thank you! :D  
**Ayase Yuuki:** Thank you~ You're one of the best reviews I've ever had! :) You read all my stories, don't you? :3  
**megladon1616:** Thank you! :) It's a slowburn, technically, but, they'll be together eventually. :)  
**Britt:** Awww! I'm glad you enjoy reading about Sindy as much as I enjoy writing about her! xD  
**Daenerys86:** Thank you!  
**cat-afterlife:** LOL. Thank you.  
**PsychoticSmartypants:** HAHAHAHAHHA. Oh God. You legitimately made me laugh out loud. Thank you!  
**monzepelmoon:** Thank you! Well, I'm glad you're giving this story a shot because I wrote it! :)  
**MsRose91:** Thank you~!  
**Carlie13:** Thank you! :)  
**LucyRider17:** Hahah. Thank you~ I loved writing the ending. ;)  
**Melanie:** Thank you!  
**K-Bird Lily 2:** Thank you!  
**Marine76:** Thank you~!

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, important note, as of today, I am going on a **hiatus**. Yes. After I just posted a chapter of Derek dying... I know, I know. I swear, I didn't plan it this way, but AP Testing is just right around the corner and I need to get my priorities straight. I'm excited for heading off to college next year, but I still have two more months of high school left. Thankfully, my last AP Test is on **May 9**, so I'll be back the following week. ;) **However,** if I think I got a substantial number of reviews (maybe hitting a total of 90?), I'll update **that Friday night, May 9** right after my AP test, no matter how exhausted I am. :)

Until then, my loves~ I'll still be here reading your reviews, but I just can't write and update! :) Please do drop a review! While you're at it, you can **always** ask me a question on my Ask page (maybe I'll even give a preview ;D), or add me on Kik or like my Facebook page!


	11. Night School

**A/N:** I missed you guys! Did you guys miss me? :3 AP Testing is FINALLY over, and... oh my God. I just got out of my AP Stats exam about half an hour ago... it wasn't as hard as I expected it to be, but I'm still brain dead, so do excuse any mistakes I didn't catch. On a sidenote, OH MY GOD YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING. THIS STORY IS ALMOST AT 100 REVIEWS. *squee*  
Also, it's my favorite guy's 21st birthday today~ ;D Happy Birthday, Yamada Ryosuke~ Also, if you didn't know, Stephen Amell's 33rd birthday was yesterday. :3

* * *

**WEDNESDAY  
****FEBRUARY 2, 2011**

"Oh my God…" I gasped, my whole body shaking furiously. "D-Derek…" It was getting harder to breathe.

"Sindy," Stiles said. "Sindy! Sindy, listen to me!" I gasped, a hand going to my throat to help me breathe. "Sindy! Can you hear me?" I nodded, my eyes blurry. "Listen to me: Breathe in… Breathe out… Breathe in… Breathe out…" I did as he said, and I felt the constricting grip around my larynx slowly dissipate.

"We need to lock this!" Scott exclaimed, snapping me out of my daze. I turned my head towards him, and wiped away at the moisture that was around my eyes.

"What? You think I have a key?" Stiles snapped at his best friend.

"Grab something!"

"What?!"

"_Anything_!"

Realization popped into my brother's head as he perked up, suddenly peering outside the window of the door. Scott peered out the window, but I just pulled back, stepping away from the door.

Derek was dead…

Oh my God…

"Stiles, _no_!" I heard Scott protest, and looked up. My eyes widened in shock when I saw Stiles slip between the doors.

I ran to the door, going to open it, but Scott pulled me back. "Scott, let me _go_!" I protested, pushing against his arms.

"_Wait_!" Scott exclaimed. "Just calm down, Sindy! You're not thinking properly!"

"You don't need to tell me that!" I snapped, shrugging his grip off me. "Derek's _dead_, Scott! And now Stiles is out there!" Even though I was yelling at him, something caught the young werewolf's attention, as his grip loosened slightly.

I furrowed my brows in confusion, until he yelled, "Run, Stiles!"

I pulled open the door, just in time for Stiles to enter. He slammed the bolt cutter against the door handles and we all peered outside the window to look for the Alpha.

"That won't hold, will it?" Scott asked after a couple of seconds.

"Probably not," Stiles and I chorused. The three of us backed away from the door, looking at our surroundings.

There was a howl in the distance, and the three of us took off running down the hallways. We ran into the closest room and I closed the door while the guys headed to the teacher's desk.

"Wait, wait, wait," Stiles protested. "Stop. The door's not gonna keep it out."

"I know," Scott replied, going to push the desk again.

"It's your boss," I said, pressing my back against the door, even though it wouldn't do much.

"What?"

"Deaton, the Alpha?" Stiles replied. "Your boss."

"No!" Scott protested, shaking his head.

"_Yes_!" Stiles and I exclaimed. My _God_ he had a stubborn, hard head.

"Murdering, psycho-werewolf!" Stiles added just for kicks.

"That can't be!"

"Oh, _come on_!" Stiles snapped. "He disappears, and that thing shows up ten seconds later to toss Derek twenty feet through the air? That's not convenient timing?"

"It's not him," Scott shook his head.

"He killed _Derek_, Scott," I snapped.

"No, Derek's not dead," Scott replied. "He can't be dead."

"Blood spurted out of his mouth, okay?" Stiles said. "That doesn't exactly qualify as a minor injury." My eyes flashed back to Derek being held above us, black blood spraying out of his mouth. I shut my eyes. "He's dead, and we're _next_."

"Okay!" Scott accepted. "Just… what do we do?"

"We get to my jeep, we get out of here, and you seriously think about quitting your job, good?" Stiles listed. We all ran to the window, hoping to see the Alpha still nod there.

Scott went to open the door, but I stopped him. "They don't open," I said. "The school's climate-controlled."

"Then we break it," Scott suggested. I wanted to slap his head.

"Which will make a lot of noise," Stiles pointed out.

"Then… uh… then we run really fast. _Really_ fast," Scott said, scanning the world outside the window. "… Stiles, what's wrong with the hood of your jeep?"

"What do mean? Nothing's wrong," Stiles furrowed his eyebrows, confused. I looked for his jeep, and squinted, unable to see anything wrong with it.

"It's bent," Scott pointed out.

"What, like, dented?" I asked. I seriously didn't see anything. I squinted.

"No, I mean _bent_."

I squinted harder, and finally saw it. "What the hell–" Stiles started, but was cut off by the glass shattering. He pushed me down, shielding me from the flying glass as something landed with a heavy _thud_ in the classroom.

Stiles shone his flashlight to the object, revealing it full of scratch marks. "That's my battery…" he realized. He went to make a move, but Scott pushed him down.

"_Don't_," he whispered harshly.

"We have to move."

"He could be right outside."

"He _is_ right outside," I hissed lowly.

"Just let me take a look," Scott said. He reached up, peering out the window. It felt like we were breathing _really_ heavily.

"See anything?" Stiles urged.

"No," Scott shook his head.

"Move now?" Stiles asked.

"Move now," Scott confirmed. As quickly as we could, we scrambled out of the classroom, stepping over the shards of broken glass. We stepped into the hallway, and tried to figure out which way to go. "This way," Scott started, but was stopped by Stiles. "What?"

"Somewhere without windows," Stiles said. I nodded in agreement. Without windows, there would be less of a chance for the Alpha to get us.

"Every single room in this building has windows," Scott retorted.

"Somewhere with _less_ windows," I edited.

"The locker room," Scott suggested. We nodded in agreement and Stiles grabbed my hand before we briskly walked off. My hand gripped Stiles's tightly, and Stiles squeezed back reassuringly, but still kept his eyes focused ahead.

We scrambled into the room, and shut the door behind us.

"Call your dad," Scott whispered to us.

"And tell him _what_?" Stiles retorted, shining the flashlight with his other hand.

"I don't know," Scott exasperatedly sighed. "_Anything_. Gas leak, fire, whatever. If that thing sees the parking lot filled with cop cars, it'll take off?"

I frowned. "What makes you so sure it'll do that?" Scott glowered at me, asking me silently why I had to challenge him. Well, _duh_, Scott always thought about short-term things, never long-term.

"Yeah," Stiles agreed. "What if it decides to go completely Terminator and kills every cop in sight, including our dad?"

"They have guns!"

"Yeah, and Derek had to be shot with a wolfsbane-laced bullet to even slow him down, you remember that?" Stiles retorted.

"Can we _not_ talk about Derek getting hurt?" I asked, my stomach churning painfully. "It's making me nauseous."

My question was, of course, ignored. "We have to find a way out and just run for it, then," Scott declared.

"There's nothing near the school for at least a mile."

"What about Derek's car?"

"That could work," my brother agreed. "We go outside, we get the keys off his body, and then we take his car."

"And him," I insisted. "We take his… we take him, too." I refused to believe he was dead.

Stiles looked down at me, giving me a _"Really?"_ look on his face. I squeezed his hand tightly enough to make him wince. "Okay, okay, fine. Whatever."

We walked around the locker room, trying to find a way to escape. I reached for the doorknob, but Scott quickly wrapped his hand around my wrist tightly.

"What?" I whispered to him urgently. Scott's face was focused, but his eyes were off in a distance.

"I think I heard something."

"Like what?" Stiles urged.

"_Shh_!" Scott hushed before looking at the blurry glass. We slowly backed away. "Hide!" he ordered.

I bit my lip painfully to keep from crying out when Stiles suddenly tugged at me, opening a locker and throwing me inside it. I heard Stiles enter another one and then Scott climbed into an empty one as well.

The door opened slowly and I held my breath, my muscles tensing like crazy. I saw a figure moving towards the locker Scott climbed into, and then a scream.

Without even thinking, I threw myself out the locker, and Stiles tried to hush the janitor that was there.

"Quiet!" we warned.

"Quiet, my ass!" he yelled loudly. "What the hell were you trying to do? Kill me?! The three of you, get out!"

"Will you just listen for half a second, okay?!" my brother whisper-yelled impatiently.

"Not okay!" the janitor insisted. "Get the hell out of here, right _now_."

"God, just one second to explain," Stiles insisted as we were ushered out of the room.

"Just shut up and go-"

I jumped in shock when the janitor was suddenly pulled back inside the locker room, the door slamming shut. I saw his silhouette from behind the blurry glass and blood smeared all over it as he screamed in pain.

Shaking myself out of the daze, I went to grab Scott, who wanted to go _inside_ the room. Stiles and I pulled Scott away from the door, knowing the janitor was a lost cause, and took off, just as I heard a heavy thud from the locker room.

We ran through the hallways, with me just a little bit ahead of the boys because of my speed. I wasn't on the varsity cross country team for no reason.

I all but threw myself at the doors, quickly joined by Stiles and Scott, but we were met with resistance. "What the hell-?" I asked, pushing against the door.

Scott poked his head out from the small crack we made and reported, "It's a dumpster."

"He pushed it in front of the door to block us in," Stiles told us. He pounded against the door roughly, causing the bangs to echo through the empty hallways. "Come on, help me."

I fell back, landing on the cold ground. "We're gonna die here…" I mumbled. "We're gonna die."

"Stop!" Scott growled, pulling Stiles away.

"Look, Sindy's right, okay?!" Stiles exclaimed. "If we don't get out of here, we're gonna die here. I'm not dying here, Scott! I'm not dying at school."

"We're not gonna die," Scott refuted. He looked down at me and hoisted me up easily, "Sindy, Sindy, look at me."

I shook my head, refusing to meet his gaze. Derek… Derek was dead. I didn't want to believe it, but it was true. The stain on my shirt was proof of it. It was already drying, and I placed a hand over it.

I could feel the cold, slightly wet feeling against the soft cotton of my shirt, and clenched it tightly, feeling the wetness spread onto my palm.

"Derek…" I choked out.

"… He's gone, Sindy," Scott said solemnly. "I'm sorry."

That wasn't making things better for me.

"Sindy, you've got to listen to me," Scott said, taking my face in his hands. He angled my head up so I could look at him. I averted my eyes, but he just followed them. "But he wouldn't want you to die, okay? So we need to focus on getting out of here alive, okay?"

I nodded mutely, and Scott gave me a weak smile. He took my hand in his and he said, "C'mon," angling his head to the side.

Stiles took my other hand and we walked off, heading down the hallways to find another exit.

"What's he doing, anyway?" Stiles asked. "What does he want?"

"Me," Scott told us firmly. "Derek says it's stronger with a pack."

"Oh, great," Stiles rolled his eyes. "A psychotic werewolf who's into teamwork. That's – that's beautiful."

"Your sarcastic comments are always appreciated," I commented dryly, sniffling a bit to get rid of the snot that had built up. Stiles tossed me a small grin, but then we were abruptly stopped by Scott.

I turned my head to look at him, but he was focused on something outside the window. I couldn't see clearly at first, but then something _huge_ started moving, and moving _fast_, and I realized it was the Alpha.

"Oh shit," I muttered. I let go of the guys' hands as they released mine, and we moved our arms as we sprinted down the hallway.

I was, of course, the fastest out of all of us, but I moved so fast that I almost slipped and ran into a wall turning to open the door to the stairs. I threw my body against the door, gripping it tightly so I didn't slip.

Scott pulled me up and we rushed through the door, running down quickly and then opening the door to another floor. It was a damn good thing I decided to wear shoes and not boots today.

My heart pounded in my chest as I ran as fast as my legs would take me, slamming my body against the doors so they'd swing open for me to run through.

Every now and then, I'd crash into a locked door, but the adrenaline kept me moving and just told me to _keep running_, no matter how much it hurt to.

I found myself in a hallway of old, rusty, lockers, and Scott and Stiles joined me in hiding behind a row of them. Scott, who was closest to the edge, peered out, and I could hear the low growl of the Alpha.

I winced, trying to calm my heartbeat, but it was no use. The adrenaline was beating so much.

"_Go,"_ Scott mouthed to us inaudibly. I took off, with Stiles right behind me, and Scott pulling up at the rear. We rushed out of the room, and found ourselves in a hallway.

"Alright, we have to do something," Stiles declared.

"Like what?" Scott and I snapped at him.

"I don't know," Stiles threw back. "Kill it, hurt it, inflict mental anguish on it. _Something_." I heard crashing, and winced.

Stiles spotted something and followed his gaze. I then heard some light _clink_ing and saw his free hand in his jacket pocket. Immediately, I realized what he was going to do.

Scott, not having the "twin sense" I had, asked what my brother was going to do. Stiles hushed our best friend, and threw the keys in the empty room before pushing us aside.

The Alpha came rushing out the room we were once in, and into the small room Stiles and I were looking into.

Stiles and I slammed our bodies onto the door and Stiles hollered, "The desk! Come on, the desk!" The three of us moved the desk, effectively blocking the Alpha inside the confined room.

The Alpha let out an angry roar, making us jump, but when we realized he couldn't escape, we gave each other relieved smiles. I collapsed over the desk, breathing heavily.

The desk jolted roughly when the door was behind pounded on, and I jumped up quickly. Right. Still trapped in school. Rest later.

"Get across, come on!" Stiles urged Scott. The werewolf climbed over the large desk, and he and I scanned the place to find a way out.

When I noticed movement in my peripheral vision, I smacked Stiles in the stomach while Scott nudged the boy's shoulder. "What are you doing?!" we demanded.

"I just wanna get a look at it!"

"Are you _crazy_?!" Scott and I exclaimed. Wow. We could be twins, too. Actually… that's not something to be proud of. I love Scott and all, but he was as exasperating as my brother sometimes… actually, even more sometimes because of this werewolf-angst.

"Look, it's trapped, okay? It's not gonna get out." He moved to climb onto the desk to peer into the room. Hey, I didn't say my brother _wasn't_ exasperating. He looked at the door and taunted, "Yeah, that's right. We got you-!"

"Will you shut up?" I snapped. My brother, ladies and gentlemen.

"Look, I'm not scared of this thing," Stiles told me. I saw the shadow of a claw come out and slam against the blurry window, causing my brother to roll off the desk in shock. He quickly stood up and retorted, "I'm not scared of you!"

… Maybe they _were_ both equally exasperating times a thousand.

"Right, 'cause you're in there and we're out here. You're not going any-" Stiles's taunts were put to an abrupt stop when there was a _huge_ crashing noise from the ceiling inside the small room.

I glanced up, and with the help of Stiles's flashlight, I could see the ceiling being bent and the tiles falling. _Shit._

The three of us ran off, and I yelled at my brother, "Did you _have_ to taunt it?!" I slammed open a door roughly. "Now it's not only going after Scott, but going to _shred __**us**_ to pieces!"

Scott held out a hand to slow us down. "Wait, did you hear that?"

I looked at Scott and commented, "Not all of us have super-bionic hearing, Scott."

"Hear what?" Stiles demanded.

"It sounds like a phone ringing…"

"_What_?" Stiles and I echoed.

"I know that ring," Scott said, nodding in confirmation. "It's Allison's phone."

"What's she doing here?" I asked, while the werewolf searched around for his phone.

"I don't know!" Scott replied. "Let me borrow your phone!"

"My phone's in my bag…" I informed. "Which is in… Derek's car…" I sighed heavily, running a hand through my hair in frustration.

"Here," Stiles handed Scott his phone before the wolf took it.

He quickly searched through Stiles's contacts before holding the phone up to his ear. "No, it's me. Where are you?" There was silence on our end before Scott asked, "Where are you right _now_?" Some more waiting. "Where? Where are you _exactly_?" He frowned before saying, "Get to the lobby. Go _now_."

He hung up and handed Stiles his phone back.

"We need to meet up with Allison. She's at the pools right now," he informed us before we ran off again. This time, since we weren't running for our lives, Scott was leading the way.

I told you he thought more with his other brain.

Scott threw the door open and walked over to Allison quickly. "Why did you come? What are you doing here?"

"Because you asked me to," Allison replied.

"I asked you to?" Scott frowned, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Allison pulled out her phone, showing the screen to him. He looked at Stiles and me before turning back to Allison.

"… Why do I get the feeling you didn't send this message?" Allison inquired.

Scott swallowed the lump in his throat. "Because I didn't."

"Did you drive here?" Stiles jumped in.

"Jackson did," Allison replied.

My eyes widened. "Jackson's here, too?"

"And Lydia," Allison added. "What's going on? Who sent this text? Why are you three here alone?" Her phone began to ring again. "Where are you?"

The door suddenly opened and I tensed, but then relaxed when I saw it was only Jackson and Lydia. "Finally!" Lydia exclaimed. "Can we go now?"

"Please," I practically begged. I wanted to get _out_ of here, find Derek (hopefully still alive), and just… just… be alive.

A thud came from the ceiling and I could hear the scattering and creaking from up above us. "RUN!" Scott ordered before we took off, just as the ceiling fell behind us.

I could hear the low growls of the Alpha behind us and Stiles and I sped up. We pushed open the door together and ran into the room, panting heavily.

I heard scrambling from the others behind us, and my eyes burned when I was almost blinded by the moonlight outside. … Wait… the moonlight… outside…

"Oh shit," I said.

"Y-yeah…" Stiles nodded.

"Help me get this in front of the door," Scott said frantically.

"Scott, wait, not here!" Stiles and I protested, but it fell to deaf ears as the Spanish Inquisition began.

"What was that? Scott? What was that?"

"What came out of the ceiling?"

"What the _hell_'s going on?!"

"Guys–"

"Will you just _help_ me? The chairs! Stack the chairs!"

"Wait!"

"Guys! Just wait a second!"

More scrambling and screeching from the chairs and desks.

"Guys? Stiles talking! Can we hang on one second, please? _**Hello**_!" my brother finally bellowed, catching the attention of the other four. "Okay. _Nice work_. Really beautiful job, everyone," he commented, looking at the fort the four just built up. "Now – what should we do about the twenty-foot wall of windows?" He gestured to the wall of glass.

"Can somebody _please_ explain what's going on, because I'm _freaking_ out here," Allison begged, taking Scott's arm. "And I would like to know why… Scott?"

Scott broke away from her and leaned against a couple of chairs, taking deep breaths. The other three look over at Stiles and me, demanding an explanation.

"Somebody killed the janitor," Stiles reported, walking over to them.

"What?" Lydia looked at us in disbelief.

"Yeah, the janitor's dead," Stiles nodded.

Allison's breathing got heavy as she scoffed and tried to regain her thoughts. "What's he talking about? Is this a _joke_?"

"What? Who killed him?" Jackson demanded.

"No, no, no, no," Lydia shook her head. "Th- this was supposed to be over. The mountain lion was killed–"

"No, don't you get it?" Jackson asked, looking at his girlfriend. "There _w__asn't_ a mountain lion." He didn't know how correct he was…

"Who was it? What does he want? What's happening? Scott!" Allison begged. I leaned against the cool glass of the window, trying to calm my nerves. Their nerves were affecting mine and I just couldn't calm down.

It wasn't safe for me to be near the windows, but Derek was out there… and this was the closest I was going to be out there…

"I- I- I- I don't know!" Scott stuttered. "I- I- I just… i- if we go out there, he's gonna kill us!"

"_Us_?" Lydia demanded. "He's gonna kill _us_?"

"_Who_?" Allison questioned. "_Who_ is it?!" she pushed.

"It's Derek," Scott said, and my heart dropped. I wanted to puke, right then and there. My stomach got heavy, as Scott continued, "It's Derek Hale."

The next thing I knew, I felt an insatiable rage. I whirled around, "You _bastard_!" I snapped, striding over to Scott. I gripped the collars of his sweater tightly so hard I felt like my knuckles were going to rip through my skin.

I threw back my right arm, and gave him a solid punch in the jaw, making him fall to the floor. My hand burned, and I felt something restrain me, holding me back from kicking the living crap out of Scott.

"How _could you_?!" I screamed, struggling against the grip.

"Sindy, Sindy, calm down!" Stiles's voice told me.

It only caused me to fight against the grip more. "Let me _go_, Stiles!" I screeched. "How the _hell_ could you do that?!" I yelled. "You _coward_!" My brain was pulsing and I felt like my head was going to burst.

I struggled against Stiles's grip, but it only tightened, almost to the point it hurt. "Sindy, _**calm down**_!" Stiles yelled.

"_**NO!**_" I screamed, struggling. "Let me beat the crap out of him! How could you?!" I yelled. "He was _**helping**_ you!"

"He's a murderer, Sindy!" Scott yelled at me.

I sobbed, and my legs gave away. My brother caught me before I could eat the pavement, but I was sure even if I did, it was nothing compared to the pain Derek felt. My right hand, the one I punched Scott with, throbbed painfully as I moved it, to place it on the stain on my shirt.

A strangled, choked noise escaped from my throat and I threw my arms around Stiles, crying into his chest. Stiles wrapped his arms around me, this time to comfort me, tightly, hushing me softly as I sobbed.

I vaguely heard the others talking, but couldn't bear to hear any of the lies Scott told them. I couldn't.

"-in here with us," I heard Scott say as I was slowly settling down. "And if we don't get out now, he's going to kill us to."

_Not if I killed Scott first,_ I thought bitterly, clinging on to my brother's jacket.

* * *

**FlyFreeBird:** I hope it went down. :3  
**SilverSpringsOceanCrashings:** Thank you! :D  
**royalpurple153:** Thank you! :o Senior IB testing? We don't have that... :3  
**She-WolfMoon:** Thank you!  
**Melanie:** ^^ I _do_ have something planned with the Alpha and Sindy, but you'll find out in due time~  
**taciturnAnalyst:** Um... is that bad?  
**megladon1616:** Thank you, I'm glad you like it a lot! And no, they are **not** boyfriend/girlfriend. Their relationship is currently undefined. ^^  
**ZizFox:** Thank youuuuuu.  
**Guest:** Thank you! :D  
**MsRose91:** I love how she and Derek are getting closer, too. ;D  
**Ayase Yuuki:** Thank you~ And Happy May! :D  
**BlackCatDemon133:** Thanksies~  
**monzepelmoon:** I get really attached to characters, too. xD (Hence why I write fanfiction.)  
**Aindrea:** Thank you!  
**ivoryrose690:** Thank you! :D  
**wolviegurl:** Thanksies~  
**Guest #2:** Thank goodness I only have 2 AP classes this year. - "Review soon"? You mean "update soon", right? XD  
**TwoFace:** Thanks! I love your penname! ;D Well... if it's a reference to Harvey Dent. xD

* * *

**A/N:** There, I updated ASAP. x] I literally JUST got home and my stomach's craving food and I. NEED. REST. AWRBYDSNHI. Hm... how about making a deal with me? 1**00+ reviews and update this weekend?** ;) I'm sure you guys wanna see the ending of this episode soon, yes? **_I_ **personally love how I ended the next chapter (and I rarely like my writing. I find it satisfying enough, but not overly so), so... I think it's great. ;3 It really defines the depth of Derek and Sindy's relationship.


End file.
